New friends, New trials
by Z. H. C
Summary: The Clue hunt is over, and Amy and Dan are back to their normal lives as Madrigal agents. Or so they think, because there is danger lurking behind every corner... Amy, Dan, Nellie, and some new allies. Ignore the first chapter, it was my writing debut.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everybody! This is my first Fanfic. I really dont like oneshots, unless they're really funny, so this on will continue as long as I can, and then, when (or if) I finally have to end it, I'll make a sequel. Thanks for reading!**

"No!" screamed Dan. "You can't! Stop!" Dan was standing on the edge of a volcano where Isabel had Saladin and Amy hanging over a 50-foot drop to the lava and was threatening to cut the ropes and let them fall to to death if Dan didn't hand over every single one of his baseball cards. "Okay okay!" Dan wailed "I'll give them to you! Just don't hurt Saladin!"

"**WAKE UP YOU DWEEBASAUROUS!" **screamed Amy. Dan stopped and stared. What the heck was she talking about? That's a weird thing to say when hanging 50 feet above your death, even for Amy. How about "Dan, save me" or "Dan, don't let her hurt Saladin!" or something like that?

He was just about to give her a piece of his mind when she started screaming again.

"**I said WAKE UP!" ** Suddenly, Dan jerked awake. Amy had thrown his backpack and was now standing in the doorway to his room, looking really pissed. "Dan! Get up! You have school today!" she shouted.

Dan rubbed his eyes. "School? What's that? Some kind of German pastry?" NO YOU MEGADWEEB! IT'S WHERE YOU GO TO LEARN STUFF AND BECOME LESS DWEEBY!" she screamed. Dan just looked at her. "Huh"? He asked.

Amy's face looked like the the volcano from Dan's nightmare. Red, boiling, and dangerous. Dan quickly shut up and jumped out of bed.

"Okay, I'm up, just get out of my room." Amy stomped out of his room down the hall. Dan just stood there for a minute. What was it with Amy this morning?

After Dan got dressed in his black t-shirt that said Ninjas Rule, some baggy jeans (what was it with skinny jeans?) and armed with his nunchucks, he went down for breakfast.

Nellie had made some kind of pastries for breakfast. "What're these?" he said suspiciously. "

"There a type of German pastry, and-" "I know! It's called school, right?" Dan stuck his tongue out at Amy.

Nellie looked confused. "No, there not called school, but that's where you're going, kiddo."

Dan looked up. "What is it with everyone and school this morning?" Amy and Nellie looked at each other. Amy gave him a look that clearly said, "Could you get any less dweeby?"

After Amy dragged a confused and angry Dan out of the house (confused because he still didn't remember what school was! The Clue hunt really took it out of him. And angry because Nellie confiscated his nunchucks as he left., he noticed something behind them. He looked back, but didn't see anybody. He kept walking, or, rather, getting dragged, but couldn't shake the feeling that someone was following them.

**Thats the first chapter. Pleeeeeeeeeaaaase review. It helps a lot. I accept helpful criticism. Also, was the bedroon scene too long? I tried to make it detailed. Thanks**


	2. Chapter 2

Dan couldn't get rid of the feeling that someone was following them, but he decided not to tell Amy, at least for now.

When they reached the school, they went off on their separate ways. Dan's first class was Science, Amy's was History. After a long, uneventful day at school, Amy and Dan met up at the front of the school to walk home. As they walked down the sidewalk, Dan pointed at a telephone pole. "Check it out, Amy!" Amy looked at the phone pole. There was a poster that said "Yard sale at 234 18th Ave. Traditional Japanese weapons" Dan started running off. "Where are you going?" Amy called to him. "I'm going to check out that yard sale!" Dan replied. "Don't worry, I brought money from selling baseball cards." And he took off running. "Be back for dinner!" Amy shouted. But Dan was already gone.

Dan ran down 18th Ave until he got to 234. He walked up to the house. There was a woman standing out front. She had wavy dark hair and caramel colored eyes. Dan walked up to her. "Hi. Is there a yard sale here? I saw the signs on my way home from school." The woman smiled at him. "Of course! You mean the traditional Japanese weapons?" Dan nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes, please, come this way. I'm a weapons collector, you know. I keep all my weapons in my garage for safekeeping. Come around back with me, and you can see what I have." Dan excitedly followed the woman through the perfectly manicured lawn to the garage. The woman walked into the garage and gestured for him to follow. "Come in, please, and you can take a look at my collection!" she said cheerily. Dan walked into the garage. It was extremely clean and bare, with a tiled floor and painted walls. He looked around. "I don't see any weapons." he told the woman doubtfully. The woman smiled. " Of course I have weapons." Her smile vanished, and her face became cold and hard. "Right here!" and she whipped out a ballpoint pen and stabbed Dan in the shoulder before he could react. "Wha-?" Dan mumbled, then collapsed to the floor.

Amy walked through the door, and set her bag down on the living room couch. Then she went to her room to start her homework. Nellie heard her come in. "Hey, Amy how was school?" She asked. Then she looked around. "Where's Dan?" Amy looked up. "Oh, he saw some sign for a yard sale selling Japanese weapons, and he went to go take a look. I told him to be back for dinner." Nellie shook her head. "Doesn't he have enough weapons already?" she said, going down the stairs. Amy went back to her homework.

Dan woke up and looked around groggily. He was in a comfortable seat in a spacious area. His hands were handcuffed and he was lying down. He lifted his head and saw he was in a luxurious limo. The woman with dark hair was sitting across from him. She smiled sweetly. "How lovely, you've woken up!" Dan glared at her. "Where are you taking me?" he demanded. The woman didn't stop smiling. "Oh, I don't think you need to know just yet. Shouldn't we get to know each other better? Of course, there's no need for that, I already know everything about you. But let me start by introducing myself. My name is Elizabeth Vesper-Hollingsworth. I believe you had a bit of a run-in with my older sister a few months ago." Dan sneered at her. "You stupid, stuck-up,-" "Now, now, no need for name calling." said Elizabeth. She gave him a murderous look. "Or I'll have to shut you up again-but don't worry, I won't kill you." She smiled. "Yet." Dan tried to give her his toughest, meanest look. "Sucker." he said. Elizabeth smiled, walked over to him, and stabbed him again with her poison pen.

2 hours later, Amy was getting worried. They were about to eat dinner, and Dan hadn't come home yet. She looked at Nellie. "I'm worried about him. He's never been gone this long." Nellie set some plates down on the table. "I'm sure he's fine. If he doesn't come back after dinner, we'll go looking for him."

William McIntyre was getting ready to go home from work. The news was bad. Quite bad. The Vespers were more active than ever. He needed to warn the other Cahills to be on guard. He picked up his briefcase and headed out to his car. Maybe he'd stop on the way home and grab a cup of coffee. He climbed into his car, but something wasn't right. He notice to small wires coming from out of the hood. He jumped out of the car and began to run, but by then it was too late. The bomb had been detonated. He lay motionless on the ground.

Amy and Nellie had finished dinner, and now they were really worried. "Let's go go look for him." Amy said. Nellie nodded. "Lets go" They both put on jackets and walked out into the dusk. "I hope he didn't decide to go to some friend's house." Amy thought. "He's SO going to be in trouble." They rounded a corner. "This is it." said Amy, pointing at the house. They went up to it and rang the doorbell. No answer. They were about to leave when Nellie spotted something on the ground. She picked it up. It was a business card. The name read, " Elizabeth Seprev Hollingsworth. Nellie looked at it. "Hey, Kiddo, look at this." Amy looked at it. "Elizabeth Seprev. Elizabeth Seprev." she mumbled. "No, doesn't seem familiar". She looked at. Suddenly she looked at Nellie. "I need to see your phone. NOW." Nellie pulled out her Smart Phone and handed it to Amy. She logged on to the Madrigal website and looked up "Vesper" A list of known Vespers and their locations came up. One of them read, "Elizabeth Vesper-Hollingsworth. Lives in Paris, stays in Boston during the winter. Address: 324 18th Ave. Elizabeth is the younger sister of Isabel Kabra, and is one of the most active and dangerous Vespers. Avoid her at all costs"Amy looked up, her hands shaking. "The Vespers." she whispered. "They've got him"


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hello readers! This is the 3**__**rd**__** chapter of my first fanfic, "**_**New friends, new trials" **_**I hope you liked the previous chapter. After this chapter, I'm going go start naming the chapters, so ideas are accepted. **_

_Previously on "_New friends, new trials" (_Amy looked up, her hands shaking. "The Vespers" she whispered. "They've got him")_

Amy started dialing a number on Nellie's phone. "Who are you calling?" Nellie asked "Mr. McIntyre." She replied, not looking up. Nellie shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea." Amy looked up. "What do you mean?" she asked worriedly. "I think we should go home" Nellie said grimly. "I have a feeling they might have left something for us."

Amy and Nellie rushed through the front door. Nellie looked into the living room, then motioned for Amy to follow her in. Sitting on the couch was a small, flat silver device, about 2 feet square and about a quarter of an inch thick and wrapped in gold foil. It looked like a mini flat-screen TV. Amy had never seen anything like it. She looked at it with a dreadful feeling. "Someone was here." She looked at Nellie. "Should we turn it on?" Nellie nodded. "It may be booby-trapped, but that's a risk I'm willing to take. Stand back and I'll turn it on." Amy walked to the corner of the room while Nellie pressed a small, almost invisible button on the back. She looked up. "All safe." There was a small fingerprint pad on the bottom. Amy put her finger on it. "Match identified. Amy Cahill. Start message?" said an automated voice. "Yes" said Amy in a loud, clear voice. The screen came to life, showing Elizabeth Vesper-Hollingsworth smiling right into the camera. It looked like she was in the room with them. It was clear that the link was live. "Why hello, Amy and Nellie!" she exclaimed. She sounded like they were getting together to have tea or something. Amy looked at her. "What have you done with Dan?" she demanded. Elizabeth stopped smiling. "Well, fine, if that's how you want to play it." She reached forward and adjusted the camera to show Dan and Fiske Cahill, sitting in chairs and bound and gagged. Dan was looking right into the camera, and he looked tired and defeated. Fiske's clothes were rumpled and his eyes were closed. The camera switched back to Elizabeth. "We haven't harmed them." She grinned evilly. "Yet." she said. "Let me guess." Amy blurted out. "You want the master Cahill serum in exchange for Dan and Uncle Fiske. You only captured Madrigals because they're the only ones that have the serum." Elizabeth smiled again. "Bravo." Amy paused. "But that doesn't explain one thing. Where's Mr. McIntyre? He's the head of the Madrigals." Elizabeth chuckled. "I was just getting to that." She pressed a button on her own remote and it showed an ambulance and some paramedics were carrying a stretcher with a man stretched out on it. Amy gasped, horrified. Then is showed a scene from a hospital, where Mr. McIntyre was lying in a hospital bed he was covered in bandages. There were tubes coming out of his mouth and nose, and there were about 10 doctors and nurses swarming around him. The camera focused on Elizabeth again. "We didn't kidnap the leader of the Madrigals because he is the only one with all the secrets of the Madrigals. If we were to abduct him, we would have no way of drawing information out of him." Her eyes focused on Amy "That's what we need YOU to do. Find the serum, the WHOLE serum, then call us at the number that will appear at the end of this message. You have 3 days. If you don't make it in time, Dan and the old man here will die." The camera switch back to Dan and Uncle Fiske. Dan was looked at Amy, talking to her with his eyes. "_Don't give her the serum, no matter what. Two lives are irrelevant compared to the millions of people who will die if the Vespers get their way." _Amy looked away, tears streaming down her face. Then Dan looked at Nellie, the same plead in hes eyes. Nellie looked up. "Okay." she said in a shaky voice. "We'll do what you want." Elizabeth smiled again. "Good. I'll talk to you again in 3 days." Then the screen went blank.

"We can't let Dan and Uncle Fiske die!" Amy exclaimed. Nellie nodded. She just finished writing sown the number that had appeared at the end of the message. Then she looked at her watch and pressed a button on it. A tiny, black and green picture appeared on the screen. It was a view of the room from above. A small LED on the top of her watch started flashing. Amy looked at it. "What is _that?_" she asked. "_Bug sensor,_" Nellie mouthed "_That video message thing must bugs planted in it._"

She stood up and motioned for Amy to follow her. They got up and went to Nellie's room, which was bug-proof. She shut the door and pulled out her phone. "Who're you texting?" Amy asked. "Zai" she answered without looking up. "Who's Zai?" Amy inquired. Nellie looked up. "Zai is a Madrigal agent. He was originally a Janus, but the Madrigal recruited him, because of his unique skills." "What kind of skills?" Amy asked " He's from Minnesota. He's lived in Dubai for 6 years and in Egypt for 2 years and is fluent in English and Arabic, is moderate in Mandarin Chinese and speaks a little Japanese. He's been traveling since he was 3, is a good chemist, and is an expert at Shaolin Martial arts, fencing, and is pretty good at parkour." Amy nodded. "Definitely a Janus. He sounds like a good guy to call." Nellie texted a message and a few minutes later, she got a reply. "Alright" she stood up. "He said to meet him in a black limousine parked in front of 978 15th Ave. Let's go."

Amy and Nellie hurried outside into the night air. 978 15th Ave. was only about a 4 minute walk. The walk to the limousine was uneventful. There was a stretch limo in front of the house. Nellie walked up to it and pressed her finger against a fingerprint pad on the window, which wasn't a normal window. It was a screen of some sort, and when she touched the pad, an image appeared. It was dark in the limousine, and they could see a silhouette sitting on one of the seats. "Hi, Amy. Hi, Nellie." said a voice. It sounded distorted and rumbly. "Come on in" The door opened, and they stepped in.

The limo was HUGE and nicely decorated. And sitting across from them was Zai. He had thick, shiny black hair and a thick strand of hair that came down to his right eye. He had golden-brown colored skin and serious dark eyes. Amy looked at him. He couldn't be more than 13 years old, but that was not was she noticed. Although she didn't know him, Amy was sure she knew him from somewhere.

_**Whew! This chapter's done. Usually I update once a week, but if you want me to continue this chapter sooner, just let me know. And yes, Zai is based on on me. (Some people call me Zai sometimes, and I think it sounds cool.)**_


	4. Madrigal Base

_**Hello readers. Sorry it took me so long to update.**_

Amy looked at Zai. He looked familiar somehow, but she didn't know how that could be. And there was something else... something in his eyes. There was something about him, something strange, but Amy couldn't put her finger on it. "Okay. So, Dan has been kidnapped, and you want me to help find him." said Zai. He paused. "But you say Elizabeth Vesper-Hollingsworth's got him. And she's got Fiske Cahill too. This is going to be tricky." He looked at Nellie and Amy. "Do you have any idea where she might be keeping them?" "Well," began Nellie, "I have this." She handed him a piece of paper." He looked at it for a minute, then pressed a button on the door panel. A small screen came to life on the wall. It showed the driver's seat of the limo. There was someone in the drover's seat, but it was too dark to tell who it was. "Excuse me? Juno? Can you take me to my apartment?" "Roger." replied Juno. As they started down the dark streets, Zai pulled out a laptop from underneath the seat. They drove through the streets in silence, Zai researching something, Amy thinking, and Nellie bouncing her head to something on her iPod. Soon they pulled up in front of a small electronics store. Zai, Amy and Nellie got out of the limo, and Juno drove off down the street. Zai walked up to the store and inserted a key into the lock, them led them inside. It was strange, all the merchandise was covered in some kind of cloth. They walked through the dark store, and at the back was a door with a sign "Employees Only" Zai tapped on the letters "m", "y", "e", and "s". The panel with "Employees Only" slid down, and underneath was a fingerprint pad, an iris scan and a voice recognizer. Zai looked at Nellie and Amy and smiled. "I know. This is WAY too much security. But, with Vespers on the loose, you really can't be too careful." He placed his fingertip in the fingerprint pad, looked into the iris scan, then said "Zai" into the voice identifier. The door made a clicking sound, than opened automatically. Behind it was a posh elevator.

They stepped into the elevator. There were 6 buttons on the wall. Zai pressed the one labeled 4. The button lit up, and the elevator started it's smooth, fast descent. Then they heard a pinging sound, and the door opened. On the other side was a softly lit hallway. They stepped out and walked down the hallway. On the other side was a door. Zai opened it. On the other side was a large area with with some people in it, some working on laptops, some buying stuff from the vending machines, some reading documents and files, and some just milling about. Amy looked around. "What IS this place?" she asked. Zai grinned. "Welcome to the 15th Madrigal base"

"Madrigal base? In Boston?" asked Amy. "Why did Mr. McIntyre never tell us about this?" "Well," began Zai "He probably didn't want you to come here alone. And since you became Madrigal agents only a few weeks ago, you don't have the clearance. It could take months to get the proper security clearance to come here. We were going to put a base near Grace's mansion, but that would've been WAY to obvious. And, since a Madrigal owns the electrons shop, this was the perfect place." Nellie looked around. " So when are we going to get permission to come down here?" she asked. Zai shrugged. "I don't know. Mr McIntyre is in charge of that." He looked around. But if you get caught here without clearance, we could get kicked out. So let's get to my apartment, fast." So they walked along the wall, came to another door, entered, and found themselves in another carpeted hallway. Zai led them down the hall and came to door number 114. Zai looked into the peephole, it lit up, and the door swung open. He ushered them in and shut the door. The room was stylishly decorated, and painted in in blues, greens, teals, and turquoises. There was a large couch against the wall, and two soft, round chairs directly across from it. Zai sat on the couch, Amy and Nellie took the chairs. Zai looked exhausted. Amy looked at him closely. Was it just her, or were Zai's eyes darker than before? She quickly looked away before he caught her staring. Zai took a deep breath. "So, here's the plan. Tonight, I make the arrangements. You two will have to stay here tonight. I have an extra bedroom, and one of you can sleep on the pull-out couch." "What about Elizabeth's demands?" asked Amy. "There's no way were giving her the serum, but we can't let Dan and Uncle Fiske die!" Zai gave her a tired grin. "I might have an idea about that."

2 hours later, Zai was sitting in front of his laptop. He was exhausted, but he couldn't think about that. Not when the world was at stake. He rubbed his eyes. He was getting one of his headaches again. He'd been getting headaches, ever since... he pushed the thought out of his mind. Concentrate, he told himself. He got up, stretched, and walked over to his nightstand and pulled out a bag with two tiny electronic chips in it. He tiptoed over to the room where Amy was sleeping. He took a tweezers, dropped one of the chips into her mouth, and rubbed her throat to make her swallow. Then he did the same to Nellie. He returned to his room and and went to his closet. It was filled with bottles and vials. He read the labels on the bottles, and took out about 40 of them. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out two tiny pills that would help with the pain. Then he placed the bottles and vials on his desk, but on his safety goggles, and began work. He hoped with all his might that his plan would work.

_**Okay, the fourth chapter's down. Whew! **_

_**P.S I'm really trying to improve my writing, so comments help. I know I'm kinda bad at it, so I'm trying to improve. Thanks for reading**_


	5. Let the Mission Begin!

_**Hello readers. Did I fail to mention that I **_**DO NOT ****_own the 39 clues? Because if I did, this is what I would be like. Enjoy!_**

__Amy jerked awake. She looked around. Something felt different. No wait... _she _felt different. It was hard to explain, but she felt almost... _it's nothing, _she told herself_._ But it was there. It was a great and nervous feeling at the same time. She looked at her watch. 3:44 A.M. She rolled over and went back to sleep.

Nellie awoke with a start. She looked around. She had this really weird feeling, a feeling of _achievement, _of _fulfillment_. Nellie looked at her watch. 4:00 A.M. _I'm just imagining things, _she convinced herself. She yawned and fell back asleep.

Zai's alarm clock went off, jolting awake. _At least those pills let me get some sleep. _The last thing he remembered, he was working at his desk. He didn't remember finishing his work, putting his lab equipment away, getting into his pajamas, turning off the light, and collapsing into bed. But that's what the pills were for, because without them, he couldn't get to sleep on his own very easily. He got up and walked over to his desk. Everything was just right. The chemicals were mixed just right. He had to make sure everything was just perfect before he did this. Everything looked A-okay. He went over to his nightstand and pulled out a small blue plastic bottle, took two blue pills out of it, took a deep breath, and swallowed them with a glass of water. He stood very still. His vision blurred for a moment, then everything was clear. Now, the chemicals on his desk didn't make as much sense as before, but that didn't matter. He took the bottles and off his desk, and packed into his reinforced backpack. Then he went to wake Amy and Nellie.

Zai, Amy, and Nellie were getting ready to leave. Nellie was singing along, listening to her iPod. Amy was grabbing some books off Zai's bookshelf. _Theoretical Astrophysics for the Teenage Genius, Double Chemistry for Gifted Students, Quantum Physics in Detail, _and _DNA Sequencing in Your Basement. _Zai smiled. It was going perfectly.

Soon they were ready. They were leaving when Zai smacked his forehead. "Ugh! I forgot! Agents aren't allowed to leave the base before 10:00 A.M. There's an advanced security system, and if we get caught, the whole mission will be finished before it even began!" Amy smiled. "Advanced security system, you said? Let me have a look" Zai led them to the elevator. There was a huge clock above the elevator, that said 8:09 A.M. "The elevator system is designed so that if anyone tries to open the doors before 10:00, the floor will send 10,000 volts of electricity, frying anybody within a 10-meter range of the elevator. Worse, if you manage to get around that, there's a self-destruct mechanism that will blow up the elevator and anyone inside it." Amy walked a little way down the hall and came to an electric fuse box mounted on the wall. She opened it. Inside was an intricate maze of wires and plugs. "Can I borrow your nose ring?" she asked Nellie. "Sure," she said, slipping it out of her nose and handing it to Amy. "Do you have anything magnetic?" she asked. "The clasp on my backpack is magnetic," said Zai. He pulled the magnet off and handed it to Amy. He had used that backpack for this purpose. She worked inside the fuse box for a few minutes. "All done," she announced. "The electricity should be switched off now around the elevator. And-" "Shh!" whispered Zai. "Someone's coming!" Amy and Nellie flattened themselves against the wall. Footsteps came nearer. Zai crouched. Then, he sprung silently at the person passing. He gave the passerby one quick jab to the throat. The man fell to the floor, unconscious. He didn't even see or hear Zai coming. Zai shoved the man into a storage closet. "We've got to hurry. Once they realize he's gone, they'll be looking for us." "We're ready." said Amy. She walked up to the elevator, and, without hesitation, pressed the button. The elevator opened just like it should. Zai and Nellie hurried in after her. "I programmed the elevator to take us to the top floor, so we don't have to risk touching one of the buttons." The elevator ascended to ground level, then opened. Zai, Nellie and Amy hurried through the store and out the front door. "We'll gave to go by taxi," said Zai. "If we get a ride with Juno, they'll find out."

They stood around for a few minutes, waiting for a taxi. "Excuse me," said Amy "I don't mean to ruin anything, but how do we even know where Dan is? He didn't tell us in the video message. He could be anywhere in the world!" "Don't worry," said Nellie "I've got it figured out." "What do you mean?" Amy asked "Well, during the video message, Dan was giving me the location with Morse Code. I've got it all written down. She handed Amy a slip of paper. On it was written a series of dots and dashes. Amy looked at it. Below the dots and dashes was a message. It read, "Hong Kong. Langham Place Hotel. Underground." _Good going, Dan, _she thought. Zai looked down the road. "There's a taxi. Come on." He waved it down, and the taxi pulled up on front of them. "Where to?" asked the bald cab driver "Logan International Airport." replied Zai. They didn't have very much luggage, just Zai's and Amy's backpacks. Nellie didn't have any luggage at all. "Don't worry" said Zai. "We can buy some clothes in the airport in Hong Kong." For the first time since she and Nellie had met Zai, she had never payed much attention to what he was wearing. But now she could remember that when they had first met him, he was wearing a green, knee-length button-down shirt, but only the top half on buttons were buttoned. Under that, he had on a black satin t-shirt that looked had an intricate design of curvy green lines. For pants, he had on long, soft-looking brown pants. Now, he was wearing wearing a black polyester shirt and dark blue polyester athletic pants. His hair was also a bit messy and spiky. She looked closely at him. His attitude was the same as yesterday, but she could swear his eyes were lighter than last night.

Zai was sitting back. Those colored pills always made him a bit tired. All of a sudden, he felt like he had been hit in the head with a sledgehammer. His headaches were back! He moaned and pulled out a small, white bottle of pills. Amy and Nellie looked at him worriedly. "Are you all right?" asked Amy nervously. Zai gave her a weak smile. "I'm fine, I just need to take a few of the pills." He took out two white pills and swallowed them without any water and grimaced. Than he leaned back and closed his eyes.

They were nearing the airport when the cab driver made an exit and went in the opposite direction from the airport. "Wh-wh-where are you taking us?" Amy asked, her stutter returning. "The airport is the other way." The driver turned around, smiling evilly. " I can't have you going Hong Kong. That's not what Elizabeth wants." _Oh, great, _thought Zai. _This is EXACTLY what I need right now. Good thing I took _those _pills beforehand._ Zai inched his arm forward silently, and when the driver swerved to avoid another car, Zai pinched a spot on the driver's shoulder. The driver let out a muffled groan and slumped forward, unconscious. Amy looked at him in amazement. "Where did you learn _that_?" she asked. Zai shrugged. "Just one of my Madrigal skills. More importantly-" He turned to Nellie "I'm already on it." she said. She shoved the unconscious cab driver out of the way and climbed into his seat. She turned the car around and headed toward the airport. Just then, an alarm went off on the man's phone. Nellie looked at it. A message appeared. It said _8:30 call Elizabeth. _"What is it?" asked Amy. "He's supposed to call Elizabeth. Allow me." She picked up the phone and dialed the number. "Hello," came Elizabeth's snooty voice, "have you got them?" "Yeah," replied Nellie, in perfect cab driver-imitation. "I got 'em. Two girls and a boy. Right where they should be." _When did Nellie become such a good actor? _She wondered. "Well, you know what to do." said Elizabeth, and the phone went dead. Zai smiled. Everything was going according to plan.

_**Okay, that was a long chapter. I updated the last chapter day before yesterday. I usually update once a week, but I was in a writing mood, so I had to continue. This chapter was a little rushed, so bear with me, I know it's kinda bad. By the way, the Langham Place is a real hotel in Hong Kong, so, needless to say, I don't own it. (sigh) Oh well. I know this chapter wasn't so great, so don't kill me or anything. Thanks for reading!**_


	6. To Hong Kong! part 1

_**Hello readers! Since the last two chapters, I've been updating every other day. Before that, I was updating once a week. If I do it this way, my story might finish sooner. Let me know if you want me to go back to updating once a week.**_

After a long, hectic car ride, Nellie pulled the stolen taxi cab into Logan International Airport. She parked in the farthest corner of the parking ramp, as far away from the other cars a possible. She, Amy, and Zai grabbed their bags and jumped out. The Vesper agent that had tied to kidnap them was locked up safely in the trunk. After Nellie hijacked the car, they dragged him out, bound his hands together, and locked him in. "Do you think he'll be okay?" asked Amy worriedly "I know he was trying to kidnap us, but we can't let him suffocate in there." "Don't worry" Zai reassured her. "The trunk isn't completely airtight. And soon enough he'll regain conciseness and start making noise, and someone will open it and find him." He frowned. "But for now, that's the least of our worries. We've got a flight to catch in-" he looked at his watch "-forty minutes. So we have to hurry." Then they ran into the terminal.

"I just realized something," said Amy "I don't have my passport. Zai patted his backpack. "The Madrigals keep copies of all their agents' passports." He gave them a crooked smile "Last night, I sort of, 'borrowed' ours." "How did the Madrigals get copies of our passports?" Amy asked. "Copies were made at birth," replied Nellie "In case you ever got active Madrigal status." "But," said Zai "look at this." He flipped open the passports. Amy's passport showed her with long, straight black hair. Nellie's showed her with red-streaked bobbed black hair. Nellie whistled. "Nice do. But how are we supposed to get through passport control with our pictures like that?" Zai handed Amy and Nellie plastic bags. "Go into the bathrooms. Hurry!" he instructed them. Amy and Nellie hurried into the ladies room. Amy opened her bag. Inside was a wig that matched her picture's hair. She put it on, waited a few minutes, and exited. Nellie was already waiting. Zai was standing to make sure that no one was watching. Zai looked at them. "Okay. We're ready. Let's go." They ran up to the passport control counter. Zai handed them their passports. The officer looked at them. "Destination?" "Hong Kong, by way of Tokyo ." replied Nellie. "Reason for visiting?" "We're seeing relatives." Nellie informed them. He looked at their passports. "Amy?" he asked. "Here." she replied. "Zakaria?" he asked "Right here" said Zai. "And...Nellie?" "That's me" she said. The officer stamped their passports. "Next!" he called out. Amy, Zai, and Nellie hurried through. "Is your real name Zakaria?" asked Nellie. Zai nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, but please don't call me that. I like Zai much better." Amy nodded. They didn't stop at baggage check-in because they didn't have any baggage to check. Zai looked at their boarding passes. "We're at gate E-11," he told them. They had almost half an hour until the flight started boarding, so they decided to do some shopping. Luckily, Nellie and Zai had some money, so they could buy some clothes and books.

After they had boarded the plane, Zai told them their seats. "Nellie, you'll be in seat 35B. Amy and I will be next to each other in seats 40A and 40C. This seating arrangement makes it so that if we run into any problems, we'll be split up, so we can call each other for help." He handed Nellie a small device that looked like a cell phone. "If you run into any problems, press the "call" button. It will send a signal to mine, so mine will flash red if you signal, and vice-versa. It uses technology similar to the system you use to call the flight attendants, so it wont interfere with the plane's navigation system. "Okay, see you in a bit!" called Nellie as she settled into her seat. Amy and Zai took their seats as well. Since the plane wasn't that full, there was an extra seat between them. Zai took the window seat, Amy took the aisle seat. Zai looked at Amy in her new wig. Long and black and straight, just like-_Stop it, _Zai told himself _don't think about that. You haven't gotten a nightmare or a flashback in months, and looking at her wig will just bring one on. _Zai wouldn't have gotten that wig for Amy if if he could've helped it, but that was the only one available at the time. He took out a book to distract himself, but he couldn't get into it, so he decided to look around to see if there were any suspicious passengers. The plane was only half-full. There was an elderly woman with a cashmere coat, a bearded man doing a crossword puzzle, a teenager listening to tunes on his iPod, a family of 4, a group of college students, and two business executives talking quietly. "Hello, this is your captain speaking," a voice came over the loudspeaker, "welcome to Continental Airlines flight 120 to Tokyo. The flight will be approximately 15 hours and 10 minutes. We may be experiencing some turbulence over the Midwest, but other than that, it should be smooth. I wish you a pleasant flight." Zai turned on the screen on the seat in front of him. He was bored, so he decided to watch a movie. He fell asleep in the middle of it. When he woke up, the flight attendant was making her rounds, asking people if they wanted anything to drink. Amy was asleep. When the flight attendant came up t o him, he asked for ginger ale because it soothed his nerves. He was about to drink when his instincts told him not to. Something, something about the way the flight attendant was smiling at him when she handed him the cup. He dipped his finger into it and took a small taste. He narrowed his eyes. Librium. A drug that was not strong enough to kill him, but strong enough to knock him out or make him sick. A clear and odorless drug, it would go almost unnoticed in his drink. But this had been part of his training. He quickly poured the ginger ale into the seat, then slowly slumped forward, pretending to fall asleep. Then he subtly pressed the "call" button on his device. Under his eyelids, he saw the flight attendant walk past, whispering something into her watch. Just then Nellie walked up. "Excuse me!" she said loudly. She pretended to try to squeeze past her. Then Nellie pressed the flight attendant against the seat. "Madame, what are you-" she said, then Zai reached forward and pinched her on the shoulder. She slumped forward. Nellie slipped off the flight attendant's watch then pressed the "call the flight attendant" button on Amy's seat. A flight attendant came rushing up. "Is something wrong?" she asked. "This woman just fainted!" Nellie exclaimed "She needs oxygen!" The flight attendant called another flight attendant and they carried their unconscious colleague to the back of the plane. Nellie winked at Zai and returned to her seat. Zai sighed. That one was close.

A few minutes later, Amy woke up. Zai was asleep. Suddenly, the red light on Zai's signaling device started blinking. Without waking Zai, she quickly made her way to where Nellie was sitting. A flight attendant was sitting down next to Nellie, and she had some sort of needle, and she looked like she was threatening Nellie. "What do you want with me, lady?" said Nellie, acting normal, but she was getting worried. The flight attendant was getting angry."I will tell you one more time. GIVE. ME THE SERUM."she demanded quietly "Or what?" asked Nellie coolly. "I will kill you right here and take the serum myself! "E-e-excuse me?" said Amy. The flight attendant whipped around and plastered a fake smile on her face. "How may I help you?" she asked "Th-the bathroom door is jammed. Could you help me?" "Of course, dear." She replied. Amy led her to the bathrooms. The flight attendant looked at the door "There's nothing wrong wi- URK!" Amy kicked her as hard as she could in the stomach. The nasty flight attendant collapsed in a pile on the ground. Amy shoved her into the bathroom and closed the door. That should keep her out of the way for a while. Besides, the plane was going to land in about an hour. But, one thing was clear now. The Vespers wouldn't stop until they had stopped Amy, Zai , and Nellie from reaching Honk Kong.

"Please keep your seatbelt fastened until the plane comes to a complete stop. Thank you for choosing Continental Airways. We wish you a pleasant stay in Tokyo." The voice over the loudspeaker was a welcome sound to Amy, it meant the flight was over. After the second incident with the Vesper flight attendant, she, Nellie and Zai moved to different seats and got switched their wigs so the flight attendant might not recognize them as easily. Nellie had also removed her nose ring. Although Zai wasn't very happy about this arrangement, it had to be done. Now, Zai had on Amy's wig, and he'd pulled into a low ponytail. "You owe me big for this one." grumbled Zai. "I look ridiculous!" But wearing the wig also made him queasy. With this wig on, he could almost _feel _that day happening again. He pushed away those nasty thoughts and focused on fooling the flight attendant. They flight attendant scrutinized them as they walked past, but she couldn't attack them with all those people around.

Their connecting flight in Tokyo left in 30 minutes, so there was no time to hang around. Zai a had to remove his wig before passport control, and since Amy's hair was pulled back and her picture was cropped around t the head, the customs officer couldn't really tell. They made it through the airport smoothly, and then boarded the plane. This time, it was packed full. The flight was about 5 hours. Zai couldn't get them seats in the previous arrangement, so they were all separate. Amy was against the window next to a young Japanese man. Zai was in the middle row, between a middle aged woman reading a book, and a teenager with his mother. Nellie was on the aisle seat, next to an elderly woman who was writing. The plane took off. _Don't worry, Dan, _thought Amy. _We will find you, no matter what!_

_**That was the longest chapter in this fanfic so far. If you like it, speak up. Obviously, I don't own Continental Airlines. Do I really need to tell you that?**_


	7. Mad Chase

_**Hello readers! Apologies if I kept you waiting. Anyway, here it is! The next chapter! Enjoy!**_

"Amy, calm down," said Zai. "As soon as Nellie gets her money, we'll be out of here!" Amy looked around nervously. She and Zai were waiting for Nellie, who was getting some money out of a nearby ATM machine. "But what if the Vespers attack us while we're waiting?" she asked. Zai sighed. Amy was too nervous. "Amy, don't be so pessimistic. The Vespers might come after us again, but they probably won't try something like that in here, with all these people around. I mean, look at this place! It's a zoo in here!" Amy looked around. Hong Kong airport was an extremely busy place People were everywhere. Nobody seemed to be standing in one place. And Zai was probably right. The Vespers _probably_ wouldn't try something in here with all these people. She hoped. Nellie walked up to them."Okay, kiddos, I got the money! Let's go!" She joined Amy and Zai and they started making their way toward the exit.

"Did you get a car to rent?" Zai asked Nellie. "Yep. And I paid for the deluxe package, so it comes with a GPS." she replied. Zai frowned. "I don't think that's such a good idea. The Vespers probably tracked your payment and know what car we're going to use. It'll probably be better if we take a taxi."

Nellie nodded. "You're right. I didn't think of that when I paid for the car. I'll go the car rental shop and get a refund." "I'm going to look around." said Zai. "There's some cool stuff in this airport." Nellie nodded. "Okay, meet me back here in 20 minutes." She handed Zai some money. Amy and Zai walked off. Zai bought a new pair of Adidas sneakers and some various other supplies, like paper clips, heavy rubber bands, a few CDs, and other various supplies. He also bought a map of the city. Amy bought a new pair of shoes and some snacks. Then they went to the bathrooms to change into the new clothes they got in Boston.

After they had changed, they met outside the bathrooms and started walking back to where Nellie would be. Zai was now wearing long blue pants, a dark gray shirt with a long, green vest, and his new shoes. As they were walking, he thought he saw someone familiar. He looked again. It was the bearded man from the flight from Boston! He quickly looked away before the man noticed Zai had seen him.

They found Nellie waiting for them. She didn't look very happy. "What's wrong?" Amy asked her. "I can't BELIEVE those people! They didn't give me a full refund! They only gave me HALF of my money back!" "We can't worry about that now," said Zai. "Right now, we have to concentrate on getting to the hotel and finding Dan." Nellie scowled. "Alright, lets go." She stuck her earbuds in and started singing along to whatever she was listening to. Amy listened closer. _Is it just me, or is Nellie's singing WAY better than normal? _They walked to the exit. Zai looked back. The bearded man was still following them, and he was talking on his phone. "Nellie, Amy, we need to hurry up. Don't look back, but I think that guy is following us." he warned them. He, Nellie and Amy quickened their pace. The man did too. They jogged out onto the street. The man started to speed up. Amy, Nellie and Zai broke out into a run.

There was a large crowd in front of them. They ran into it, pushing people out of the way. Zai looked back. The man was falling back. They burst out of the crowd and ran down the street. "There!" cried Amy! Up ahead was a taxi parked along the curb. "No!"shouted Zai "This may be a trap! That guy might be trying to chase us in that direction! The taxi driver could be a Vesper waiting for us! We'll have to find a find a taxi further away from the airport!" They ran in the other direction, hoping to shake off their pursuer. They ran up the street and went into an alleyway. They emerged from the other side. Amy and Nellie stopped to catch their breath. Zai kept running. "Zai! Wait!" called Amy! "We can't keep up!" Zai stopped. "Oh, sorry. But hurry! That guy will catch up any second!" Amy and Nellie started running again.

"There's a taxi!" said Nellie, pointing to a bright red taxi about a block away. They ran up to it. There was an elderly man sitting in it, reading. "你好。你能带我们去朗豪酒店?"(Hello. Can you take us to Langham Place Hotel?) asked Zai. "你好! 在获得!"(Yes! Get in!) said the man, smiling. They jumped in. He sped off. Zai looked back. He saw their pursuer emerge from the alleyway and look around. He whipped out his cell phone and started talking. He looked furious. Zai sighed with relief. The driver was driving like a madman. Suddenly, all the cars around them started slowing down.

Zai looked out the window. Up ahead was a roadblock. Cars were being diverted. "This is bad," said Zai. "I think the Vespers put up that roadblock to look for us. We'd better get out here." He, Amy, and Nellie jumped out of the car. "Here!" Nellie shouted as she tossed a wad of bills to the confused-looking taxi driver. They ran down the sidewalk away from the roadblock. "Hurry! I think they saw us!" screamed Amy. Zai looked back. Sure enough, the traffic police were looking at them and shouting into their walkie-talkies. "This way!" shouted Zai. They ran into a side street. Suddenly, two men wearing all black stepped out of a storefront in front of them. They turned around and saw a woman with a gun blocking their path.

"HEEEEEEEEEELP!" screamed Amy at the top of her lungs. The first rule of self defense: Draw attention to the attacker. The men cursed under their breath and charged toward them. Zai shoved Amy out of the way, and at the very last second, jumped to the side. The two men crashed into the woman and fell down, stunned. The woman's gun fired, the bullet whizzing past Zai's arm. The woman got up dazedly and raised her gun. Nellie swung her backpack at her head. It connected with a _thud _and the woman collapsed onto the ground, unconscious. "Come on!" yelled Zai. He, Amy, and Nellie sprinted out of the alleyway and into a deserted courtyard. Suddenly, Zai collapsed onto the ground. "Are you okay?" asked Nellie. Zai was holding his shoulder. He moved his hand away. His palm was bright red. There was a red stain growing on his shoulder. "OH MY GOD!" screamed Nellie. "YOU GOT SHOT!"

"The bullet only grazed my shoulder." moaned Zai. He reached into his backpack and took out a small bottle. He opened it and emptied a pill into his hand. "Do you have any water?" he asked weakly. "Here." Amy took a water bottle that she'd bought in the airport and handed it to him. He took the pill and stood up. His vision blurred for a moment. He reached into is backpack and took out the shirt he was wearing on the flight. He tore the sleeve off and tied it tightly around his shoulder. "There. That should slow down the bleeding." He then took some to the heavy rubber bands that he got in the airport and used them to hold the fabric down. He stood up weakly. "I'll be fine. We have to get moving!" He used the rest of the water to wash the blood of his hand. They started running down the street when they heard something behind them. Amy looked back and saw the two men and the woman emerging from the alleyway.

The woman spotted them and yelled something to the two men. They started running after them. "This way!" screamed Nellie. They ran out of the courtyard and down the street. "We cant get another taxi! We'll have to get to the hotel ourselves!" shouted Zai. "How?" screamed Amy. Just up ahead, there were two motorcyclists getting off their motorcycles and entering a small, seedy-looking bar. "There! Hurry" shouted Nellie. Zai sneaked up behind the cyclists. "Sorry about this." he muttered. He grabbed his keys out of their hands and pinched them quickly on the shoulder to knock them out. He tossed one set of keys to Nellie. "Hop on!" Nellie and Amy jumped onto one of the motorcycles and Zai jumped on the other one. He tossed his backpack to Amy. "Amy! I need you to read the map and tell us where to go! I marked the hotel's location on the map!" "Okay!" she replied. They pulled away from the curb and raced down the narrow side street.

Zai looked back. The two men and the woman had jumped into a black sedan and gaining on them. "Turn left!" screamed Amy. Nellie and Zai wrenched the handlebars to the left. Now they were racing down an open freeway. "Amy!" screamed Zai, "We need to take the side streets! It'll be harder for them to follow us!" "Got it!" she said. "Turn left down the next side street!" Zai and Nellie lurched to the left. The road was crowded with people. _Those Vespers will have a hard time following us through here, _thought Zai. He looked back. The black sedan was pushing slowly through the people. The woman at the wheel was angrily blaring the horn. "Take the next right!" yelled Amy. Zai and Nellie zoomed down the road, dodging people. "Take another right onto the freeway! Then take the exit for the bridge!" They steered right onto the freeway and veered toward the exit. The sedan burst onto the freeway and started accelerating.

"Zai! Look out!" screamed Nellie. Zai looked back. One of the men in the sedan was leaning out of the window and pointing a pistol in their general direction. Zai jerked to the right. A bullet whizzed past his head. "AAAAAAAH!" he screamed. He did _not _want to get shot again. Cars were stopping after the people heard the gunshot. Zai and Nellie went up onto the sidewalk. Suddenly, the ground dropped away and they were on a bridge. The sedan was inching through the traffic. The man leaned out of the window again. "Look out!" warned Zai. More bullets zoomed through the air. Suddenly, they heard a siren. "Oh, no," groaned Nellie, "Now the police are after us!" "No!" said Zai, shouting to be heard over the sound of the engines. "they probably came because they heard the gunshots!" He paused. "It doesn't matter! The Vespers control the police force in Hong Kong! Remember the roadblock? When they find out what happened, they'll be after us!"

"What do we do?" asked Amy. "We'll have to get off these motorcycles and find another way to the hotel!" replied Zai. "Here they come!" yelled Nellie. Sure enough, two police cars were now behind them with their sirens blaring. The license plate had a big, black "V" on it. A policeman was pointing a gun at them. They were off the bridge now, and the police cars were gaining. "We need to take the next left!"screamed Amy.

Zai looked back. The police cars were about 60 feet behind them. "Listen!" screamed Zai, "When I say 'jump', slow down and jump off your motorcycle!" The police cars were 50 feet behind them...40 feet...30 feet...20 feet... "_JUUUUUMP!_" screamed Zai. He and Nellie slowed down and all 3 of them dove off their motorcycles. The police cars tried to stop, but there was no time. They crashed into the motorcycles. There was a terrible wrenching sound, then a small explosion. Both police cars erupted into flames.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" they all screamed. Zai ran as close as he dared and looked into the police car. Both policemen were unconscious, but Zai felt sure that he saw one of them moving slightly. They heard more sirens in the distance. He ran over to Amy and Nellie. Amy was sitting on the ground, looking dazed. "Come on, Amy! Get up! We've got to get out of here!" He said to here. She just looked straight ahead. Zai and Nellie dragged her to her feet. "Amy, are you okay?" he asked her. Amy shook her head. "I'm fine. Let's go." They ran as fast as they could away from the scene of the accident. "We'll have to get a taxi." said Amy. "We can't walk to the hotel without getting killed. The Vespers will rip apart all of Hong Kong to get us." "You're right." said Nellie. "We'll be much safer in a taxi. But first, lets put some distance between us and those wrecked police cars!"

They ran a few more blocks. "There! I see a taxi!" called Zai. They ran up to it and jumped in. "Langham Place Hotel." Nellie told him. He smiled. "Yes! I take you! I can speak good English!" They sat with their heads low so they wouldn't draw attention to themselves. Amy heard the sound of cars getting closer behind them. She looked out the window and saw two black sedans with tinted windows "V" written on their license plates. "Um, could you turn into that side street?" Zai asked. The man shrugged. "Okay. Why?" "Nothing." answered Zai. The man looked back. "Ah!" he said "Those people are chasing you!" "How did you know?" asked Amy. "I can see that car coming closer. I can see the fear in your eyes. Okay! I will help you get away!" The taxi driver entered the side street and stopped. "Get out, hurry! I will go back and they will think you are still in my taxi. Hurry!" "Okay. Thanks!" Zai called, handing him a few bills. "No problem!" the man smiled.

As he drove off, they noticed that his license plate. It said "MDRGL1". "He's...a...Madrigal!" said Amy "And he didn't turn us in!" "Yeah, I heard there was a Madrigal agent operating out of Hong Kong." said Zai. "But let's get going, the hotel is about a ten-minute walk from here. But, as I'm sure you know, anything could happen in those ten minutes. We'd better stay in the side streets and hurry while that taxi driver is covering for us."

They ran off down the road. Strangely, there was nobody following them. They were almost at the hotel when Nellie stopped. "Kiddos, something's not right. You'd think that someone would've started chasing us by now. It's like.." "Like they know we're coming." whispered Zai. "We'll have to be really careful now. Elizabeth's probably waiting for us." They ran until they reached the hotel. "There it is." said Amy. "Dan and Uncle Fiske are somewhere under there." They looked at each other. "Lets do it."

And they went in.

_**Yay! Amy, Zai, and Nellie finally reach Hong Kong and the hotel! Please, if I made any mistakes with my Chinese, I am so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so sorry. Let me know if I **__**made any mistakes.**_


	8. Infiltration

_**Hello readers! (If saying that annoys you, let me know.) It took me a while to write this because I couldn't think of a good idea to make this chapter about. Hope you enjoy it!**_

Zai, Amy, and Nellie stood in front of the Langham Place Hotel. _This is it, _thought Amy. _Dan and Uncle Fiske are somewhere underneath that hotel. _

"Well?" asked Zai, "Should we go in?" He looked at Amy and Nellie.

"Let's go." said Nellie. They walked up the steps and entered the hotel. It was beautiful inside, with elaborate chandeliers and beautiful furniture. "Okay, here's the plan," whispered Zai, "I made a reservation for the three of us here. I'm sure the rooms will have cameras, so we'll have to fool them somehow. We'll relax this afternoon, then, at night, we'll try to find Dan and your uncle."

Nellie walked up to the front desk to check in. Amy and Zai waited for her on one of the luxurious couches.

Amy cleared her throat. "So, um, do you have a plan for when we actually _find_ where they're keeping Dan and Uncle Fiske?" Zai looked up. "Hey, C'mon Amy, did you think I had this _all _planned out? I'm just goning to improvise. I only had one night to plan all this through! And that crazy motorcycle chase totally wore me out!" "Sorry, Zai," she replied sheepishly, "Your right. I shouldn't have expected so much from you." "It's okay," said Zai, "Really. We just need a few hours to rest plan our strategy."

Nellie walked up to them. "Alright, I got the rooms. We're all on floor 22. Zai, you're in room 222. Amy, you're in room 226. And I'm in 221." The all walked to the elevators. Amy, of course, was nervous. "What if the Vespers are expecting us and this is a trap?" she whispered. "I don't think so." said Nellie. "Elizabeth won't risk it, now that she's failed to stop us from coming here." "Yeah." said Zai. "Now she's waiting for us to make the first move."

They rode the rest of the way in silence. The elevator stopped at the 22nd floor. Zai checked his watch. 4:31 A.M. "Okay," he told Amy and Nellie, "I'll meet you right here at 9:30. Just remember, rest and prepare for the rescue." They each went their separate ways.

Nellie walked down the hall until she found 212. She inserted her key card and stepped in. _I think I'll take a nice, long shower, _she thought. _Then I'll listen to some music. _She walked into the bathroom and noticed a small, black box on the floor with a big "V" on the top. She gasped and gingerly picked it up. Then she noticed a small beeping noise. She turned it around and saw a small timer that was ticking down...

Zai was sitting down on the couch in his room with his eyes closed, just thinking and concentrating. He found that it helped him deal with the pain he was feeling, physically, mentally, and emotionally. He tried to wash all those thoughts out of his mind, the screaming, the crying, the shooting, it was all to horrible to think about. He got up. It was time to prepare some things for what lay ahead. He went to his backpack and got out some things...

Amy was lying on her bed, reading. She was trying to keep her mind off of Dan. Dan, who had looked so scared when they saw him on video back in Boston. She was glad that she had Nellie and Zai to help her, even though neither of them was related to Dan. Well, Zai was, being a Madrigal, but still. That was another question that Amy had on her mind. Why was Zai risking his life to help them? Amy didn't even know him a few days ago. Although she had come to trust Zai completely, that still nagged at her brain. _Well, _she thought, _thinking is not going to prepare me for what lies ahead. _She looked at herself in the mirror. _I'd better change my clothes. _She decided. _Something suitable for action. _She opened her bag.

Bach in Nellie's room, stifled a shriek and ran toward the window. She tried to open it to throw it out, but the window didn't open. She looked at the timer. 00:3 seconds until detonation. The beeping got faster. She stood frozen with fear. _BEEP-BEEP-! _

Time slowed with terror. Then...

Nothing. Nellie just stood there shaking. Suddenly, a laughter started playing from a small speaker on the bomb. Then, a voice. "Oh, you are so easy to fool!" Elizabeth's snooty voice said. "You probably thought that was a bomb! I wish I could see your face. Which, by the way, I'm sure is hilarious." There was more laughter. "Oh, well. Sometimes I wonder how I do it. Anyway, as evil as you might think I am, I just sent this message to congratulate you for making it this far. For if you hear this, you are close to what you seek. Well, if you want that dirty little boy and that old man back, come get me! I'm waiting. Ta-ta!" Then the message stopped.

Nellie just stood there. Then, she started shaking. Not with fear, but with rage. _That... that... that CREATURE! When I finally get my hands on her! Shes gonna wish she was NEVER born! _Nellie felt like destroying something. _No, _she told herself. _She's trying to make me angry, so that I'll make mistakes. I can't give her what she wants. _Nellie set her jaw. Now, Elizabeth had made it personal.

Zai was in his room, working tediously. He looked at his watch. 8:11. Not much time left, but he could finish. Half an hour later, he was done. He secided to do some scouting. He went downstairs to the lobby. He was trying to find a way to the basement. _The basement is for employees only, so I'll need to find a way down there., _he decided. He went up to the front desk. "Excuse me, but where is the business center?" he asked the woman behind the desk. "Floor 3." she answered in a monotone. "Thanks!" he replied as he made his way to the elevators.

He rode to Floor 3 and exited. There was a corridor and a big door. He pushed it open. There was a large, dark room. He took out a small flashlight out of his pocket and shone it around the room. There were many couches and tables. He walked to the far end of the Room. There was a door that said "EMPLOYEES ONLY". He looked at the lock. _Rats, _he thought, _a key card lock. Nothing I can pick. _He had two options. _I can wait here and wait for an employee, or I can try and find another door. _He decided to find another door. He left the Business Center and went to the lobby. Keeping out of the woman at the front desk's sight, he waited. After 10 minutes, a maid walked by. He followed her at a safe distance. She walked down a long, bare hallway, and through a big set of double doors. _Bingo, _thought Zai. He ran back to elevator and back up to his room. He reached into his backpack, pulled out the blue bottle of pills, and took two. Then he picked up the phone and dialed room service.

Amy looked at her watch. 9:00. _Okay, time to do this. _She turned off all the lights and walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower as hot as it would go. Amy wasn't a fan of steaming showers, so she started washing her hair in the sink. After twenty minutes, there was a thick cloud of steam hanging in the room. After twenty-five minutes, the room had become like a sauna. _That might cover up the cameras, _she decided. She walked to the front door and, as quietly as she could, she went out.

Nellie and Amy had been waiting at the elevators for two minutes when Zai showed up. She had decided not to tell them about Elizabeth's "time bomb" because (1) she was embarassed about and (2) this matter was between her and that vile excuse for a human. "Are we ready?" asked Nellie. Zai and Amy nodded, too full of excitement and nervous energy to talk. Nellie reached into her pocket and pulled out three small black devices. "These are mini-microphones. Imbed them your back molars. That way we can communicate. Amy and Zai each took one of the microphones and stuck them in their back teeth. Nellie did the same. "Alright, do either of you two have a plan?" Zai smiled. "I think I have an idea."

"Wait, you us to split up?" asked Amy. Zai nodded. "That's the idea. Amy, you'll go in first, then Nellie, and I'll go last. That way I can guide you, since I already checked the place out. We'll go in at 15-minute intervals." They made their way back down to the lobby. "Okay, I'll cause a distraction." said Nellie. she looked at Amy. "Good luck, kiddo." Nellie walked up to the front desk. "Excuse me!" she said loudly to the receptionist, "I ordered tandoori chicken off of room service, and chicken tandoori is supposed to be cooked in a stone oven, but from the taste of it, it was cooked in a brick oven, and there was a burnt spot on it, and I think the tea I got wasn't brewed long enough, and..." Zai turned to Amy. "Amy, don't get yourself killed in there, please? And take this." He handed her a small, black bag. Amy looked at it questioningly. "When the time's right, you'll what to do with it." he told her. Amy tried to nod, slipped off, unnoticed by the exasperated receptionist. She walked right where had told her to go, down the hallway, and through the double doors.

Amy walked through the door. Her knees were shaking. She looked around. There was an elevator and some doors on either side of the hallway. _I don't have much time before someone comes, _she thought. _The elevator's my best bet. Dan said '_Under the hotel. Amy walked up to the elevator and pressed the 'down' button. The elevator opened. Amy walked in and looked at the buttons. _Dan said they were under the hotel. But which level could he mean? _Amy looked at all the buttons_. Think, think_! "Zai, I need help." she whispered. Back in the lobby, he heard her through his microphone in his tooth. "Amy? Whats wrong?" he asked. "I'm on an elevator. What floor should I go to?" "Just go to the lowest floor." he replied. "That's the most logical place for a secret Vesper stronghold." "Okay. Thanks." Then Amy pressed the '6' button. And the elevator went down.

Back in the lobby, Nellie had finished ranting to the poor receptionist, who was now gone to find the chef. "Okay," Zai told her, "Now's your chance. Go down the hall, and on your left, you'll see an elevator. Go to level 6." "Got it. Thanks!" said Nellie as she made her way to the big set of double doors.

Amy looked around her. She was standing in a hallway. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all bleached white. She walked down the hallway. It seemed to go on forever. She walked for fifteen minutes when she got to a big set of metal doors. There was a small fingerprint pad on the wall next to the door. She hesitated. _If I scan my finger, I might set off the alarms. _But Amy didn't know that there was a miniscule camera right next to the fingerprint scanner. And not just any camera. It was an _Iris Scanner._ Before Amy could take another step, a red light above the door started blaring. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Then the floor gave way beneath her feet.

Nellie was now walking down the same, long hallway that Amy had passed through minutes ago. When she got to the end, she came to the same big metal door that Amy did. But Nellie didn't walk close enough to the iris scanner to be identified as an intruder. Nellie looked around suspiciously. _If Amy came through here, she would have had to scan her fingertips on that scanner. Obviously she didn't but there aren't any other ways through. Unless... _Nellie dropped to the floor and crawled toward the door. She made sure to keep her eyes almost closed, just open enough to see. She looked down. There was a faint, hairline crack in the floor. She followed it around and realized the crack formed a circle shape. She pulled out her pocketknife and tried to wedge it into the crack, but even her thinnest blade couldn't fit. _Well, _she thoughr, _Only one thing to do. _She stood up in front of the fingerprint scanner. Just like it had done to Amy, the timy scanner scanned her iris and a shrill alarm sounded. Nellie jumped out of the way. The circle section of floor, about 5 feet wide, swung downward. Nellie peered down. There was a slide, that twisted out of view into complete blackness. Nellie took a deep breath, and jumped in.

Zai hurried down the same, long hall as the two before him. He knew all too well what was at the other side. He tried to supress the horrible thoughts that tried so hard to resurface. He ran down the hallway, looking only straight ahead. Soon he arrived at the huge metal doors. He walked right up to them. His retina registered with the scanner. The light above the door turned green and they opened. He went in. He found himself in a familliar setting: He was standing in a narrow room with pictures on the wall. They were pictures of Cahills and other people that had been eliminated by the Vespers. Zai saw Amy and Dan's parents, Hope and Arthur on the wall, with big, red Xs through their faces. Then, he froze. He saw someone else. Someone's picture, and when he saw it, he collapsed on the ground. He started groaning and his head fealt like it was being chewed away. Suddenly, he was not in the Vesper stronghold, but in a house, far away. There were armed men and women storming through the house, _his _house, breaking everything. He saw the men running toward them. "NOOOO!" he screamed, "ZACHI! ZADE!" then silence. Silence, and darkness, and emptiness. Zai's eyes flashed open. He looked around the room one more time, then passed out. He didn't hear them come in.

Nellie slid down the twisting slide into pure and utter blackness. After about 5 minutes, she slid to a stop. There was a faint red glow coming from somewhere in front of her. She reached into her pocket. Her hand brushed against the bag Zai had given her, identical to the one he gave Amy. She pulled out a small flashlight and shone it in front of her. It was an extremely long corridor, probably even longer than the one where the slide started. "Wow. These Vespers really like their hallways." she said out loud, to break the silence. She started walking.

Amy was already further along the hallway when she heard a voice echoing off the walls. She froze with fear, and decided to wait where she was and surprise whoever was following her. She flattened herself against the wall. A few minutes later, someone walked past. Amy jumped out and threw herself on her persuer, who wasn't that much taller than she was. They rolled around on the ground a few times, then her persuer turned on a flashlight. Amy was blinded for a minute, a prime for her follower to attack. "Amy? Is that you?" came Nellie's voice. Amy looked down. She was on top of Nellie. "Nellie!" she exclained with delight, jumpng off of her. Nellie stood up. "Where are we?" she asked. "And where's Zai?" Amy shrugged. Suddenly, a crackling noise came over their mouth-microphones. They heard the a brief thumping sound, then a groan. Nellie and Amy looked at each other. "Zai."

**_Sorry about that chapter, I know it kind of stunk. Not enough action. I got kinda rusty at writing, I need to get back into my writing groove. Well, comment and stay tuned!_**  
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	9. Captured!

_**Hey there, readers! I was a little disappointed that I got no reviews last chapter. As any writer knows, reviews are the main reason for writing. So, I want 4 reviews on this chapter. 2 for this **__**chapter, and 2 to make up for last chapter. Well, enjoy!**_

_Previously on _New friends, New trials: _Amy and Nellie looked at each other. "Zai. He's been __captured." whispered Amy._

Amy and Nellie looked at each other. "Well, what now?" asked Amy nervously. "We try and find our way to Zai and whoever's captured him." repleid Nellie. "Also, stay tuned to your mouth-microphone. It could give us some idea where we should look. But for now, lets go to the end of this hallway."

They walked on and on, for about 20 minutes.

They didn't speak.

They didn't hear anything on the mouth-microphones.

They didn't slow down.

They hardly breathed.

Inside, Amy was thinking. She was thinking about a lot of things, but most of all, she was thinking about Zai. Zai was hiding some secret from. A horrible, dark secret. Something that he was trying not to show, but to Amy, it was unmistakable. He had the same look in his eyes that she had seen in Dan sometimes, whenever someone mentioned their parents. It was a look of loss and hurt. _But, _thought Amy, _Who did he lose? What hurt him? _

Nellie was thinking about the situation they were in. She knew that the Vespers 'Made Isabel look like Mother Teresa'. And she didn't doubt that. Also, the fact that the Vesper that they were up against now was Isabel's _sister._ Who knew how many more siblings could Isabel have? And if Isabel's sister is a Vesper, that must mean that Isabel is a Vesper as well. Which meant Ian and Natalie could also be Vespers. Not that she didn't sort of trust Ian and Natalie now, but the thought of them being Vespers was a little jolting. _If they're Vespers, _she thought, _then who else could be a Vesper? How many Vespers are lurking around?_

Zai was aching all over. He was currently sitting on a posh leather lounge chair. With a glass of tea. It was matcha, his favorite. He would've enjoyed it under different circumstances, but the person sitting across from him made him want to throw up everything he'd eaten in his 14-and-a-half years of life. And them some more. The person across from him made him queasy. He forced himself to sip the aromatic tea. It helped clear his mind. The person across from him's mouth slowly cracked and twisted itself into a horrible smile. "You like it?"

Amy felt like she had been walking for an eternity. She was about to say something to break the haunting silence when Nellie held up her hand and pointed ahead.

There was a faint glow of light. "There's the end of the tunnel!" she whispered. "Stay closed to the wall, and don't make a sound." Amy nodded. They tiptoed closer to the end of the hallway. It was a large door with a push-bar. Nellie pushed it. The door swung open to reveal a small room with two doors. One door was labeled "st+delnothrgannocre" and the other was labeled "rduoooym".

"Oh, great. A code we have to solve." Amy groaned. Nellie grinned. "Good thing I've been taking an advanced cryptology back in Boston! Let me have a crack at this thing." She studied the codes for about 5 minutes. Then, she whipped out a notebook and a pen from her bag. She scribbled furiously for a few moments. Then she looked back at the doors. Then she scribbled some more. "Got it!" she exclaimed. "How did you do that?" asked Amy incredulously. Nellie handed Amy her notebook. "Take a look." Amy examined Nellie's work. "Brilliant." And they went through.

Zai felt like he was staring into a black hole. Nothing around him made sense. From what he saw back in the picture room, to what he was seeing now, he wasn't even sure where he was at times. He was slipping back and forth between hallucinations and the real world around him. One moment, he was seeing them_, _standing in front of him, calling out to him. But when he tried to reach them, they vanished. He felt like he was losing them all over again...and again...and again.

Across from Zai was the ugliest man he had ever seen. He could not be described in words. He was horrible beyond all reason. He wouldn't even come a close second to a warthog's mutated great-grandmother in a beauty contest. Not even close. And next to him, was a woman who's face was very familiar to Zai. Elizabeth Hamilton Vesper-Hollingsworth smiled, showing all thirty-two perfect pearly white teeth. Zai looked around him. He was no longer in a soft leather armchair. He was now tied to a hard, metal chair. Parts of his body were limp, and he had a bloody gash above his eye. Elizabeth leaned closer to him. "Now," she began, "Tell me about Amy Cahill and Nellie Gomez."

Amy and Nellie walked through the door and went into a large, warehouse-like room. There were cubicles with computers inside, and an elevator on the other side of the room. Amy walked over to one of the computers and pressed the power button. The machine whirred to life. A welcome screen came on, then it asked for a password. Amy looked at 'Password Hint'. It read 'sfroerpesveevr' Amy remembered how Nellie solved the code on the door. She started writing something down. Then she entered the password. The computer welcomed her onto the main screen.

After solving other passwords similar to the first, Amy found on a file labeled 'Agent Profiles' She clicked on it. It was a long list of agents, in alphabetical order. She scrolled to the end of the list. Then, something caught her eye. She slowly went back up to it. It said 'Arthur Trent'. Next to that, it said 'Position: Traitor.' 'Status: TERMINATED'

Amy screamed, and fainted.

Nellie was just thinking to herself how strange it was that they hadn't seen a single agent down here when she heard Amy screaming at the top of her lungs. Nellie ran as fast as she could back to where she'd last seen Amy. She found her slumped in a chair in front of a computer. Nellie grabbed Amy by the shoulders. "Amy! Amy! What happened!" Amy opened her eyes. "What is it!" Nellie asked urgently. Amy wordlessly pointed at the screen. Nellie scanned her eyes down till she saw what had gotten her so upset.

Nellie gasped. Amy was hyperventilating and mumbling. It sounded like she was trying to talk while drowning. Nellie took Amy by the shoulders. "Amy, snap out of it!" Amy didn't look her in the eye. Nellie took out her water bottle and splashed a little on Amy's face. Amy slowly stopped mumbling and shook her head. "Come on." said Nellie. "Don't worry about that right now. We need to find Zai. And your brother and uncle." Amy stood up slowly. "Yeah. Let's go."

Zai didn't think he'd ever been in a predicament as bad as this since he'd been 8. He was tied to a hard, cold metal chair. His face was bleeding above his right eye. His hair was disheveled. He was gasping. And the man causing him this pain made his stomach feel like a washing machine. Elizabeth walked over to him again. She smiled again, but it was a smile that would put a great white shark to shame. "I've almost had enough. Tell me. Where. Are. Amy. Cahill. And. Nellie. Gomez?" Zai look up defiantly. "I'm not telling you ANYTHING!" he responded. Elizabeth clucked her tongue. "Why, Zai! You wouldn't want something _unspeakably horrible_ to happen to them, would you?" She leaned within inches of his face. "Like what happened with _Zade and Zachi?_"

Amy and Nellie were making their way through the large room when they both stopped. They could hear something over their mouth-microphones. "_I've almost had enough. Tell me. Where. Are. Amy. Cahill. And. Nellie. Gomez?" "I'm not telling you ANYTHING!" "Why, Zai! You wouldn't want something _unspeakably horrible _to happen to them, would you? Like what happened to _Zade and Zachi?" Amy and Nellie looked at each other. "That was Zai and Elizabeth." said Amy quietly. "Well, now we know that she has him. We'd better get a move on."

Amy was thinking about what she'd heard over her mouth-microphone. _Who are Zade and Zachi? Are they the people Zai lost? Who were they, though? How did he loose them? Was they his friends? Siblings? Or maybe, his... _Amy stopped herself. It was something else. Amy was also preventing herself from thinking about when she saw her dad's name on the computer. She blocked those images from her mind and refused to let them through.

"Uh, Amy? Are you okay?" Nellie called. Amy stopped. She realized that she had been walking in circles. "I'm fine." Nellie pointed toward the elevator. It was about twenty feet away. "That's where we need to go. It's the only way up. It's where Zai and Elizabeth are." They just started walking again when suddenly, they heard a crashing noise. They both turned around. About 15 Vesper agents wearing black combat fatigues came rushing at them from all sides.

"RUUUNN!" screamed Amy. They sprinted toward the elevator. _If we have to wait for the elevator, we're finished! _thought Nellie. They reached the elevator. Amy pressed the 'Up' button.

They waited for a few seconds. The elevator still hadn't arrived, and the Vespers were upon them. Any and Nellie knew they would have to fight back as best they could. Nellie reached into her bag. She pulled out two, small glass vials and threw them down. They shattered, releasing stinging, burning fumes. "AAAAAAURRFGHH!" the agents screamed as they staggered back, holding their noses. Next, Amy pulled out two, small, round balls and a lighter. She lit them and threw them down. Each one released a six-foot wide cloud of smoke, creating a barrier between the agents and Any and Nellie.

Just then, they heard a 'Ping!' coming from the elevator, and the doors opened. Amy and Nellie dashed inside. "Press something!" said Nellie. "Which button?" wailed Amy. "Any button!" screamed Nellie, "They're coming!" Amy pressed a button. The doors closed. Or, they _thought _the doors had closed. Because then Nellie saw two black-gloved hands trying to pry the doors apart. "AAAAAA!" screamed Amy. Nellie reared back and lashed forward with her heel, slamming it into the guy's fingers.

"EROLLRRGHLLRP!" screamed the Vesper as his fingers were crunched beneath Nellie's black motorcycle boots. The elevator jerked upwards. Nellie and Amy stood in the corner, panting. The elevator stopped. They stepped out into a plush office. There was thick red carpeting with a large, black 'V' in the middle. In the corner, there was a soft-looking chair with a small coffee table in front of it. There was a cold cup of tea on the table. "I think we're getting close." said Amy. She and Nellie walked across the office. "Stop!" Nellie screamed suddenly. Amy froze. "What?" she asked nervously. "Don't. Move." said Nellie. Amy looked down. She was standing on a thin wire stretched across the floor. "This place is booby trapped." said Nellie.

Amy started shaking. "If you step off that wire, this place will blow." said Nellie. "W-what should we do?" stammered Amy, turning white. "My best bet would be to tackle you out of the way." mused Nellie. "I d-d-don't think so." said Amy. "Look." In front of Amy, about 8 more wires lay waiting for someone to step on them. "If you push me off, I'll fall onto one of those wires." Nellie thought it over. "Then I'll have to push you the other way."

Nellie carefully stepped between the wires in front of Amy. Now, she could tackle her into the wire-free zone. "Alright, on the count of 3." said Nellie. "1...2...3!" Nellie sprang forward, grabbing Amy around her midsection. They went tumbling into the area of the room that was free of explosive wires. Then... KA_BOOOOOOOM! _Amy and Nellie were thrown against the wall. "I think," said Nellie, "That we should be more careful from now on."

Elizabeth was looking with scorn at the boy in front of her. He had so much promise, then had thrown it all away. He was weak, he would never make it as a Vesper. At least not yet, that is. Because Elizabeth had plans for him, to restore all his lost promise. That was why he was so valuable to her. Just then, a small, black device clipped to her pocket beeped. She looked at the small screen on it. Then she smiled at Zai. "Looks like your little friends just sprung one of my traps." she gloated. "Now, I know _exactly _where they are." Zai tried not to show it, but he was worried. He was worried because if Elizabeth got hold of Amy and Nellie, she would kill without a second thought. After all, she had done it before. _Whatever you guys do, don't let Elizabeth get you, _he thought silently to them.

After carefully avoiding the booby traps in the office, they found themselves in a silver and white room. The room was rounded at the top, and there were two hallways leading off in either direction. "We'll have to split up." decided Amy. "Right" Nellie nodded. "Do you still have the pack that Zai gave you?" "Yep." confirmed Amy. They took off in different directions.

Nellie ran down the pristine white hall. She came to two doors. One labeled 'Holding Cells' The other read 'Interrogation' _Interrogation, _thought Nellie, _From what I heard over my mouth-microphone, Zai was being interrogated. _She pushed open the door and went through.

Amy ran down the hall. After about 5 minutes or running, Amy hit a dead-end. _Wait, why build a hallway this long that leads to nothing? Uh-oh... _Suddenly, 5 Vesper agents clad in black came running down the hallway. Amy reached into her pack. It was time to take action. She pressed a small, black button on the watch Zai had liberated from the Madrigal gadget arsenal before they left. A tiny dart flew out of the watch, precisely aimed at the agent on the far left. He fell with a 'URP!' of surprise. Next, she took out a small, egg-like object from the pack that Zai gave her. The agents were about ten feet away from her, 9...8...7...6...5..Amy squeezed the egg and threw it down. It was a strobe light, meaning it gave off a brilliantly blinding ball of light. The agents staggered and collapsed, blinded.

Amy then took out a small perfume bottle, except that it didn't have perfume in it. She sprayed it at the lurching, stumbling agents, causing them to fall to the ground and faint. She ran past them, grabbing two pistols out of their holsters as she went. She was a little unsure about this, but it was a good thing she had gotten some firearm training with the Madrigals back in Boston. She ran back down the corridor, guns at the ready.

Nellie was walking down the hall when suddenly, she heard someones voice over her mouth-microphone. She kept walking, and suddenly, she heard the voices in her ears, not over her microphone. She inched along the wall, and peeked around the corner. She saw Zai, tied to a chair looking tired, a woman who she assumed was Elizabeth, and a tall man with long, colorless hair. She retreated a few yards and spoke into her mouth-microphone. "Amy! I need backup over here! Go to the end of the hallway that I went down and go through the door that says 'Interrogation' Zai's back here and so's Elizabeth!"

Zai was sitting there, feeling miserable when he saw something poke around the corner. And that something was spiky, black, and blond. Nellie's hair! Zai had to keep his expression the same, so Elizabeth didn't suspect anything. Now, that sense of despair was gone, and he hoped beyond all reason that they would rescue him.

Amy had gotten the message from Nellie and was now sprinting down the hall. She slowed to a walk before she got there so her footsteps couldn't be heard echoing off the walls. She entered the 'Interrogation' door and tiptoed down the hall. She rounded a corner and bumped into Nellie. "Ooof!" she grunted quietly. "Sorry." whispered Amy. "Are you ready?" asked Nellie. Amy nodded. She handed Nellie one of the pistols. Then the ran to the interrogation room and threw open the door.

_**Well, that chapter was longer than normal. Hope you liked it! And remember, I want 4 reviews. Also, if you can figure out the code that I used on the doors, let me know, and you can choose what happens next chapter. (Except no romance or death)**_


	10. Met his match

_**Hello, readers! I'm happy about the feedback I received for the last chapter. Also, I added a little surprise at the end of this chapter. Also, I don't know what to do when the new series **_**Vespers Rising ****_coming out. It will make my story obsolete, so I need ideas, please! So, enjoy and comment!_**

Amy and Nellie threw open the door, their pistols raised. Amy's hands shook a little, she'd never used live ammo on a real, live person before. But she knew, this kind of duty came with being a Madrigal. That's why, back in Boston, Uncle Fiske had insisted that she take some firearm classes. She had even earned her Firearms Safety Certificate. Dan couldn't because you had to be 12 to take the class.

Anyway, they burst into the room. They saw Zai tied to a chair in the middle of the room. Elizabeth spun around and whipped out two USP pistols, pointing one at each of them. Then, Amy and Nellie noticed another person in the room. He was the most hideous man either of them had either seen. In two quick leaps, he was at Zai's side and pointing a pistol at his stomach. Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at Amy and Nellie. "I believe," she said, "that you have something I want."

Everyone was still. That monster of a man jabbed his pistol into Zai's stomach. He winced. Elizabeth was pointing her pistols at Amy and Nellie, ready to shoot if they made one wrong move. Amy and Nellie were pointing their pistols at Elizabeth. Then, Nellie and Amy lowered their weapons.

"We'll give you what you want." said Nellie coldly. Amy nodded. "Just don't kill him." Giving up the valuable contents of the pouch that Zai gave her would be an awful loss. But Zai's life was worth much more than that. Elizabeth chuckled. "Kill him? Why would I do that?"

"Wh-wh-what do you mean?" asked Amy, "If you're not going to kill him, then why do you have a gun pressed against his stomach?" Elizabeth sighed and shook her head. "Zai. That's what you're being called now? Well, whatever your name is, you're too valuable to kill. However, I won't hesitate to shoot him. It won't kill him, it'll just incapacitate him for a while." She sneered. "Because, unlike you, I have a use for him."

Nellie didn't hesitate. She aimed, and shot. The hideous man dropped his gun, screaming and clutching at his leg. He started crawling toward a well-camouflaged door at the back of the room. Elizabeth turned and aimed her pistols at Zai. There was no mistake about what she was about to do. Suddenly, two shots rang out. Elizabeth shrieked and dropped her guns. But there was no blood on her hands. She ran after her horrible assistant. Amy and Nellie turned around. Standing in the doorway were two people wearing black digital camouflage fatigues.

One was a woman with shoulder-length brown hair and a nasty smile on her face. The other was a tall teenager, maybe 17, with sunglasses and really short, dark hair. They both had Lucian crests on their shoulders, and they were both holding smoking Beretta pistols.

"Alana Flores?" asked Zai incredulously. "And, Elias Feur?" The teenager, Elias, smirked. "Good thing Alana and I were here. We saved your pathetic hides in the nick of time." Nellie spun around and pointed her gun at Elias. "Who is this jerk? Should I shoot him?" "No," coughed Zai, "They're friends...sort of." "You? Shoot me?" snorted Elias, " I'd like to see you try, but in that case I hope you shoot better than you sing. I've heard some the horror stories of your singing. They say that your singing will induce deafness on anyone who hears it." Nellie looked over and unleashed her most lethal attack on Elias. If looks could kill, Elias would've been beaten, impaled, chopped up, and burned.

Zai coughed from the back of the room. "Um, could somebody help me up, please?" Nellie and Elias were currently engaged in a glaring war, so Amy walked over to Zai and undid the ropes binding him to the chair. He collapsed onto the floor, heaving. Amy helped him stand up. She noticed that the skin above his eye was bleeding, and he was limping slightly.

"How did you guys find us here?" asked Zai. "We were contacted by a friend of yours." replied Alana. "A guy named Juno." "Juno!" exclaimed Zai, "That's my caretaker!..I mean chauffeur." Elias rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Unlike us Lucians, you Madrigal punks can't take care of yourselves." "I'm NOT a Madrigal!" hissed Zai. Amy and Nellie looked at him strangely. "I mean, I AM a Madrigal." he said sheepishly. Amy and Nellie shrugged.

"We have to go after Elizabeth." said Amy. "She's injured. She can't be that dangerous in her current state." Zai shook his head. "There's no way to follow her." he pointed to the back wall where Elizabeth and her lovely companion had escaped from. "That door is retina-sensitive. We have no idea where she went. Worse, she's probably got your brother and uncle...er, great-uncle right now."

They were just deciding what to do next when they heard something that sounded like static. Then, they heard a voice coming over two speakers mounted in the ceiling. "He's right." came Elizabeth's voice, raspy and furious sounding. I've got your pathetic brother and that foolish old man. If you ever want to see them again, that is, in one piece, that is, then meet me in the lobby. Only...Zai. You will bring me what I want, and I will give you your brother and uncle back."

"This is the only way we can get them back!" argued Amy. "Hmph." grunted Elias. "If that wimpy excuse for a Cahill was stupid enough to let himself get captured in the first place, then I say say we keep the serum and let her take him. We'll get him back...eventually. But the serum is more important." Amy looked like she was about to attack Elias. "How could you even _say that?_ You think that stupid serum is worth more that a _human life?_" "Whoa, kiddo, calm down." Nellie said, holding her back. "Sorry," Amy said, taking a deep breath. She turned to Zai. "What do you think?"

Zai looked up. "I'll do it. No matter how valuable the serum is, Dan is more important. Losing the serum is nothing compared to losing a family member." _Is he trying to imply something? _thought Amy. She looked at Nellie. "Nellie?" "I agree with Zai." she said. "Dan and your uncle's life are more important." Finally, she turned to Alana. "What do you think?" Alana shrugged. "I don't care, as long as I get to take a crack at Elizabeth." Amy grinned smugly at Elias. "Looks like you're out-voted." Elias snarled but didn't say anything.

Zai walked down the long, white hallway on his way to the lobby to meet with Elizabeth. He was thinking what he was about to do. _I know it's the right thing. I _have _to do this, _he thought. _I know it would make Mother proud,and Dad, and Nehara. This is what they would want. This is what they would do if they were in my position. _

Zai walked into the lobby. He saw Elizabeth sitting one of the luxurious couches, having a glass of what looked like champagne. She looked up and smiled. "Ah, so you've decided to show up. I hope we can work something out." "Don't your hands hurt from getting shot?" asked Zai. It was the only thing he could think of. "Of course not, dear." she responded light voice. "I was wearing Kevlar gloves. Besides, the bullet didn't hit me, it just knocked the guns out of my hands." Pause. "Oh." said Zai. He sat down opposite Elizabeth.

"So, did you bring it?" she asked. Zai shook his head. "I wanted to make sure we had an agreement first. But I came to offer an alternate deal. I know how much you want me, so I came to say this. You can take me but release Dan and his uncle." Elizabeth considered. "You're offer is... interesting. Tell you what. You give me _half _of the serum, and I'll give my prisoners to you." Zai thought about it, knowing that Elizabeth could not be trusted. He knew she would betray you at the blink of an eye. She'd done it before.

"Deal." he said, knowing he would have to be on his guard. Elizabeth's deal seemed too generous. And she was a dangerous woman, Zai had firsthand experience and the scars to prove it. "Now, I'll go back to where the serum is and bring you your half." Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak, but Zai beat her to it. " I know the drill. You'll have to send someone with me, to make sure I don't do anything tricky or dishonest. Believe me, I'm not the one you have to worry about." he said, looking her in the eye.

Elizabeth chuckled. "Touche, Ka- I mean Zai. You will be accompanied by two of my agents. Although betrayal is not your style, you can't be too careful, right?" Zai just scowled and got up. Elizabeth snapped her fingers, and two agents clad in dark suits stepped up. They grabbed Zai by the arms and escorted him out of the lobby.

Back up in Amy's room, she, Nellie, Elias, and Alana waited. "So, how long have you guys known Zai?" asked Amy. "For a few years," answered Elias "What about you?" "A few days." replied Amy. It was 12:30 AM, but she wasn't tired. Part of that was due to worry, and part due to jetlag. Now, they were just waiting for the signal.

Zai walked down the hallway with the two agents beside him. Just from taking the elevator with them, he had already gotten a pretty good idea of what they were like, even though they didn't talk. The one on the right walked with a slight limp of his left leg, and the one on the left had her sleeves pulled all the way up past her wrists, with gloves on. She was trying to hide something on her wrist, perhaps a really ugly scar or a birthmark. Okay, he didn't find out_ a lot _about them, but it was something to start with.

They reached Zai's room. They walked in with him, and he reached into his backpack, pulled out a vial of something yellowish-green. He held it up, looking at with a mixture of awe, disgust, and wondering. The two agents looked at each other, and nodded. Zai tensed and coughed. The signal.

Amy, Nellie, Elias and Alana jumped up when they heard the signal. They ran out of Amy's room and down the hall, positioning themselves about 20 feet away from Zai's room. Inside the room, one of the agents sprang. Zai spun around and kicked him in the stomach. He stumbled backward, then rose up to his full height. _Glorp, _thought Zai, _I never realized how huge this guy is! _Zai reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, key-chain-looking thing. He unraveled it. It was a Changquan, or chain whip. It had 13 sections, and was about 10 feet long. Perfect for mid-range fighting.

One of the agents pulled out a Taser. Zai spun around and lashed the chain whip at her. It wrapped around the Taser and yanked it from her hand, sending it spinning off. Before she could retrieve it, Zai shook something from his sleeve into his hand. It was a rope dart, which is just what it sounds like: a sharp, metal dart about 5 inches long on the end of a 15 foot rope, made for throwing and retrieving. He flung his hand forward, and the dart whipped out. It flew threw the air and struck the agent in the shoulder. _Ugh, _he thought, _always a little to the left. _There was a spot of blood appearing on the agents shoulder, but they started moving toward him again. _Well, _he thought, _time to play rough._

Zai reached into his backpack and pulled out two swords, one was long, and the other was a bit shorter. He remembered the words of his trainer: _Your swords are an extension of your own body, as well as two parts of the same whole. _He turned and faced the agents and grinned, despite himself. This was just like back when he was younger. He ran at the agents as best as he could in his hotel room. He bent his legs and launched himself into the air, sweeping his hands in a downwards arc. "AAAULLGHH!" screamed the agent, as the swords slashed over his shoulders. Zai twisted in the air and landed, his swords pointed out to the side. A quick bash to the head with his sword hilt sealed the deal. The first agent slumped to the floor, out cold. _One down, one to go._

The second agent pulled out a pistol with a silencer on it. Zai leaped behind the bed. _This is bad, _he thought, _than woman has me pinned down! _He groaned in dismay when he realized that his chain whip and his rope dart were lying on the ground just beyond his range. He reached into his pack and pulled out another weapon he used: a stiletto, or throwing knife. Just then, a shot spat silently out of the agent's gun and slammed into the wall behind him. _Now's my chance! _He thought. He jumped up from his crouched position and hurled the knife at her. He threw it so quickly, he didn't have time to aim. The knife streaked through the air and buried itself into her forearm. She shrieked in pain, then pulled the knife out and tossed it aside, growling. _Yikes, _he thought, _she's tough!_

Zai used this as a distraction. He dropped his swords and jumped onto the bed and bounced off of it, landing near the discarded Taser. He picked it up and aimed it at her, daring her to make another move. They were both still for a moment. Suddenly, the woman dropped her gun and dashed forward, catching Zai off guard. She spun and kicked, knocking the Taser from his hand. _She's fast, too! But..._ Zai ducked down and swept the Taser off the ground in a flash. _I may be faster! _

He aimed it at her again. She scowled, then sprang toward the bed. _No, not my swords! _He thought frantically. He aimed the Taser at her and shot. Nothing happened. _Ugh, this was a trick! She knew that the Taser wasn't working, it was just a distraction! _He threw the Taser down in disgust. The agent was holding up his swords. _Oh my god, she's holding them like an expert! She knows how to use those things! _The woman hissed and jumped off the bed, doing a front flip in the air. She landed right in front of Zai. Now, the real fight begins.

The Vesper lunged forward and slashed with one of the swords. Zai leaped backward to avoid getting his stomach cut in half. He prepared to lash out with his chain whip, but the agent dropped to the floor and swept his legs out from under him. Zai thudded to the floor. _Grr, _he thought, _she's too good! I'll have to use my best techniques if I want to beat her. _Zai leaped to his feet. The woman pounced toward him, swords spinning at an alarming rate. Zai flipped backward, putting some distance between them. Then, he realized he had backed himself into a corner. This was his last chance. He pulled out his chain whip and lashed his hand forward.

The chain bound itself around the woman's wrist, halting the swinging sword. She cursed under her breath, trying to wrench free. Zai jumped forward, kicking one of the swords out of her hand, at the same time kicking the door behind him. He yanked the whip back, and the sword flew through the air, and Zai caught it. _Now we're evenly matched! _He dove toward her, and at the last second, slashed his hand forward. The woman, who had the shorter sword, blocked his. Now, they were pushing against each other. But the adult's physical strength gave her an advantage. _She may be physically stronger, but I'm smaller and faster, _Zai reminded himself. He took a deep breath, then reared back and kicked with all the energy he could muster. She stumbled back. Zai used the opportunity and shot out with 2 fingers directly into the woman's heart, then throat, then head, then stomach. It was he trump card technique.

The woman gasped and staggered backward, winded. Zai jumped and kicked his other sword out of her hand. She was just about to attack again when the door flew open. Elias, Alana, Amy, and Nellie were standing there. Alana held a silenced pistol. The woman put her wrist to her mouth and pressed a button on her watch. "Backup! I need backup at the location of extraction!" she said into it. "Oh, great, backup?" asked Amy. "There's no way we can take them all." said Zai. "I'll deal with this one here. She's better than she looks. You guys stay get out of here. Find a way to escape." "I'll help you." decided Amy. "You might need assistance." Zai shrugged. "Fine by me. Now hurry!" Elias, Alana, and Nellie ran out of the room and down the hall. Zai pulled out his swords again. Just then, the woman spied the serum, the vial with the yellowish-green liquid sitting on the floor near Amy. "Amy, grab the serum!" whispered Zai.

Amy snatched the serum off the floor. The woman whipped out another pistol, but this one wasn't silenced. She aimed it directly at Amy. "Throw it here!" called Zai. Amy threw the serum to him. The woman shot. The bulled missed, and smashed into the window, shattering it. She aimed her pistol at Zai. Zai zoomed toward the woman, and slashed with his sword. The woman groaned, a spot of blood appearing on her waist. She stepped back and pulled out what looked like a bar of soap. She pressed a small button on it, then ran out the door. "I think if we don't get out of here, we'll get blown to bits!" screamed Amy. They ran for the door. Suddenly, about twenty more agents came running down the hall toward the. "Other way!" yelled Zai. He and Amy sprinted back into the room. The agents slowly came through the doorway. "We only have one choice. JUMP!" screamed Zai. He grabbed Amy's arm and threw himself out the window.

"!" they both screamed as they fell hundreds of feet to the cement sidewalk below.

_**There! The longest chapter to date. Hoped you liked it! And now, for the little surprise at the end.**_

Amy and Nellie were preparing to go on the mission to rescue Dan and Uncle Fiske. "But what'll we do with Saladin?" asked Amy. "Shoot!" said Nellie, "Your right. We can't bring him with us. Do you know anyone that will be willing to take care of him?" "Yeah, I think I do." replied Amy. "One of my friends from school, Sandra, said she always wanted a cat. I can ask her." Amy went to the phone and dialed Sandra's number. Suddenly, a creepy, deep voice answered. "_I know you're out there, Cahill. You think you can win this. But we, the children on Damien Vesper, are here. We know your secrets, and we're waiting for the right moment to _STRIKE!"

Amy screamed at the top of her lungs. Nellie came running. "What is it, Kiddo?" she asked worriedly. Amy pointed wordlessly to the phone. Nellie frowned and picked up. She listened for a few minutes, then dropped the phone. "Whoa. That. Was. Like, FREAKY!" She said, sounding a little shaken. "I think," said Amy, "That we'll need to find Saladin another place to stay.

Amy and Nellie drove to Mr. McIntyre's house. "Maybe his maid won't mind keeping him for a while." Amy carried Saladin's pet carrier up to Mr. McIntyre's door. There was a message scratched into it. _Nice try, Cahill. But I'm watching you. I can see your every move. Beware. _There was a big 'V' next to it. Amy shivered and dropped the pet carrier. "Mrrrrp!" complained Saladin. Amy ran back to the car. "Nope. Not here." Then, they drove the pet store. "They have a pet watching thing. They can watch Saladin for a few days." said Nellie. They walked into the pet store. They dropped Saladin off, and as they were walking to the car, Amy didn't notice a man dressed all in black, with a big, red 'V' on his jacket. And he was watching them.


	11. Death! Maybe?

_** Hello, everybody. Sorry for taking so long to update. Due to traveling, a crashed computer and a total lack of ideas, this was the hardest chapter I've written. Also, many thanks to omg-KITTENS for their advice. Read and comment!**_

"!" screamed Amy and Zai as they plummeted toward the sidewalk hundreds of feet below. _I guess this is it, _thought Amy sadly. _I never got to say good-bye to Dan, or Nellie, or Uncle Fiske, or anyone. I hope Grace would've been proud._

Suddenly, Amy jerked to a stop. She looked up. Zai was holding onto her wrist with one hand, and holding onto a flag with the hotel's symbol with the other hand. The flag was attached to a metal pole that jutted out between two windows on the 13th floor. And it was half-ripped from the pole.

"Ungh...can't...hold...on..." gasped Zai. His fingers were slipping. Amy was swinging dangerously below him. _Can't let us die_, he thought,_ I can't be responsible for Amy's death, too! _The flag ripped a little more. "Gah!" Zai gasped again. He felt Amy's hand slipping. His knuckles turned white from holding on. Amy's face was ghostly white, and she was hyperventilating. Then, another Vesper leaned far out the window and began to cut the flag.

"HE'S CUTTING THE FLAG OFF!" screamed Amy. Her voice was full of terror, a feeling Zai knew very well. _These could my last few minutes, _he thought. _Any regrets? Plenty. But, maybe death will bring me closer to the people I lost. _Zai was just getting lost in thought when the cutting stopped. He looked up. Then, someone punched the Vesper in the head. The Vesper whirled around. He started fighting with someone, but Zai couldn't tell who it was.

Then, that someone kicked the Vesper in back of his neck and grabbed him by the collar. It was Elias! The Vesper struggled, but Elias shoved him toward the window.

"EEEEEP!" the Vesper screamed as he stumbled out the window. Amy shut her eyes, waiting for a horrible splatting below.

The splatting never came. Suddenly, Amy and Zai were jerked down. "AAHH!" They both screamed. The flag was hanging on by a few threads. Amy looked down. The Vesper was holding on to her shoe. Amy kicked. Her shoe came off.

And then, the flag ripped completely.

Meanwhile, Nellie, Alana, and Elias were outside the hotel.

"Where are Amy and Zai?" asked Nellie as they ran into he underground parking.

"Last I saw them, they were hanging from a flag on the 13th floor of the hotel." replied Elias nonchalantly.

"They're WHAT!" yelled Nellie. "You just LEFT them like that? You're SO IRRESPONSIBLE! Do you have ANY IDEA what I'll do if something happens to them?"

"Who, the Blushing Bookworm and Wonder Boy?" asked Elias, rolling his eyes. "I think they can take care of themselves."

"If AMYTHING happens to them, I will _personally _make sure that you never see the light of day again." Nellie growled.

"Oh, put a cork in it, lady." Elias said.

Nellie looked ready to murder someone, but before she could decide how, Alana spoke up.

"We need a mode of transportation, some way to get out of here."

"How 'bout that?" asked Nellie, pointing to a very large, black Hummer parked at the end of the lot.

"That'll do!" replied Alana. They rushed toward the Hummer. There was a man crouched by one of the wheels, picking up some keys. Elias tapped him on the shoulder. The man looked up.

"Surprise!" said Elias, slamming his fist into the guy's nose.

"UFF!" the man groaned, slumping onto the ground.

"What do we do with this one?" asked Nellie.

"Put that piece of garbage where he belongs." replied Elias.

Nellie dragged the man and shoved him into the Dumpster in the garbage disposal room. He would be in for a surprise when he woke up.

"Now, I'm gonna rescue Amy and Zai." Nellie told them, and started running off.

Don't forget about Amy and Zai. The Vesper was holding onto Amy's shoe, and she kicked, and her shoe fell off, and the flag ripped, and they all fell.

"YAAAAAAAAAaaaAAAAAhHHHAAAAA!" They all screamed as they fell. _Once again, I am about to die, _thought Amy. _Oh well, at least we tried._

Amy and Zai waited to hit the cement. It was surprising how time seemed to be creeping along like a snail caught in a puddle of frozen honey.

Amy and Zai just fell, waiting for their doom. Then, they hit the ground. _I must be dead now, _she thought. But strangely, she felt herself sliding slowly. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and she was too afraid to open them.

Suddenly, she felt herself falling again. She landed on a hard surface. _So this is what death is like, _thought Amy. _I never thought it would be so painful and bumpy. _

"Amy?... Amy?" she heard someone calling her. She was afraid to open her eyes and look at them.

_Who could possibly want to talk to me right now?_

"Amy! Open your eyes!" said the voice again.

Now Amy was really scared. Suddenly, she felt someone shaking her.

_Here goes, _she thought to herself. She slowly forced one eyelid open.

She was sitting on some sort of sidewalk, with people crowding around them. Everyone was pointing and shouting. She was pressed up against something. Something warm.

"A-A-Amy!" she heard someone wheeze in a choked voice, "C-c-can't...get...any...oxygen!". She opened her eyes all the way. Zai was next to her. He was close. Very close, in fact. With a start, Amy realized that her hands were wrapped tightly, _very _tightly around his neck and her face was pressed into his shoulder. He was gasping for air.

"UUHHH!" Amy stammered as she jumped up. Her face was so red, it looked like it could catch fire.

Zai was taking deep breaths. He tried to shrug it off. It didn't work.

"How? Why? Wha-?" Amy started blubbering.

Zai gasped in some air. _Breath in...breath out. Breath in...breath out. Do not stop breathing. You will not suffocate._ "Um, I'm guessing you're talking about why we're not scattered in a million pieces all over the sidewalk right now?" He wheezed. The color was returning to his face now. He pointed above them. There was a large, red awning over the front door of the hotel.

_So that's what we landed on, _thought Amy. _No wonder I felt that sliding. _Amy felt pretty stupid. One, for thinking she was dead, and two, for almost squeezing the life out of Zai.

She looked around, trying to shield her eyes from the cameras. _Wait, Cameras? _There was a crowd of people around them, and some were snapping pictures. _Oh, no! This is going to be all over the news? _Amy hated being the center of attention. Zai didn't look any more comfortable than she felt, and he was nearly strangled. Then, she heard her cell phone ringing. She checked the caller I.D. Nellie.

"Hello? Nellie?" she said cautiously.

"Amy? Is that you?" Nellie's voice blared into her.

"Yes, it's me." She replied.

"WOOOOHOOOOO! YOU'RE ALIVE KIDDO!" Nellie screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Yeah, we're alive, where are you?" asked Amy.

"We're in the underground parking lot, next to the gigantic Hummer. You can't miss us."

'

Amy and Zai hurried around the corner to where the underground parking was. There was a guard in front of it.

"Stop, Cahill!" he commanded, pulling out another pistol. Amy was seriously getting tired of those things. She pointed her watch at him and pressed a button. Just like under the hotel, a tiny dart flew out of her watch and buried itself in his shoulder. He groaned, then slumped to the floor. "Nice aim." Zai commented. Amy blushed slightly at the praise. They ran into the lot. Immediately, they saw what they were looking for: a GINORMOUS, black Hummer with a big, red 'V' on top. Amy was also getting tired of seeing big, red 'V's.

"Zai! Amy! Over here!" Nellie called to them. She was sitting in the front seat, along with Alana, while Elias was in the back. Amy and Zai ran to the Hummer and got in. Amy got in first, so she was next to Elias. She put as much distance between herself and him as possible. Elias sneered at her. Amy mustered a lot of courage and sneered back. Zai chuckled.

"Alright, dudes! Let's goooooOOOOOoooooooOOO!" wailed Nellie, peeling out of the parking space and zooming out of the lot.

Just then, Zai's phone rang. He took it out of his pack. Amy looked at it. It was black, with a greenish design on the back. It was touch-screen, with a small button on the bottom. The phone read Zai's fingerprint and turned on. He answered it.

"You betrayed me! And after all I offered you?" came Elizabeth's raging voice over the phone.

"Well, duh!" replied Zai. "You actually thought I would trust a worm like you?"

"Why you ungrateful, impossible, untrustworthy little trog! Do you-!" Zai clicked her off.

"We'd better get moving." said Zai. "Elizabeth's got Dan and your uncle, and my guess is she's taking them out of the city!"

"But we don't even know where they are." said Amy dejectedly.

"How about right there?" asked Nellie, pointing to a giant black Hummer, identical to the one they were in, pulling away from the hotel.

"Follow them! We can't let her get away with her prisoners!" commanded Alana. Nellie took action. She pressed the pedal against the floor. The huge car surged forward.

"Let's GOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOOO!" screamed Nellie as she pushed the Hummer to full speed. People were screaming and diving out of the way. The black Hummer that Elizabeth was in was also gaining speed, though.

"Have they seen us?" asked Zai. "No, don't think so!" replied Nellie. "We've got a worse problem!" said Elias, pointing behind them. A police car with the siren blaring was now in pursuit of them.

"Don't worry about it!" replied Amy, "The police in Hong Kong are all Vespers, anyway!"

Elias sat back. "That's _so _reassuring. Oh, and Zai?" he reached into his backpack. "Here are your swords. I found them in the hotel room."

"Uh, gee, thanks." replied Zai.

Nellie tore up the road. People were generally staying out of their way, so there wasn't much danger of running anybody over. Elizabeth's black Hummer was about 100 feet in front of them. Zai looked out the back window.

"There are 3 police cars in pursuit. Each car has 4 agents in it. If they catch us, they'll kill us."

"Then we'd better not let them catch us!" replied Nellie. She swerved to avoid squishing a BMW.

"Nellie, I think you're driving on the wrong side of the road again!" screamed Amy as a 18-wheeler barreled towards them.

"Oops! Right, sorry!" exclaimed Nellie, jerking the massive car to the other side of the road. Now, they had a smoother run toward Elizabeth.

Suddenly, the tailpipe of Elizabeth's Hummer spewed out a thick cloud of black smoke, covering the car. "Ugh! Smoke screen! Can't see where I'm going!" Nellie exclaimed. She flipped on the headlights. It illuminated the area immediately in front of them, but it wasn't enough to penetrate the cloud. Nellie started swerving.

"What are you doing?" asked Elias. "I'm trying to clear the smoke, what does it look like I'm doing?" replied Nellie. "If I move the car back and forth, it might clear the smoke up a little!"

The car swerved across the road, and the smoke started to dissipate a little. "Awesome! I can see Elizabeth's car again!" exclaimed Elias.

Then, the license plate of Elizabeth's Hummer folded up, and a stream of thick, gray, viscous, slime-like liquid oozed out, causing them to slide all over the road. Nellie slammed down on the emergency brake, but the car still skidded forward. Nellie then threw the car into reverse, but it still wasn't enough to stop the humongous Hummer from sliding forward at a dangerous rate.

"Alright, this is getting annoying." muttered Nellie.

"What's that screen?" asked Amy, pointing to a rectangular screen on the dashboard. "Hmm..."Alana touched it. It lit up, and an automated voice said, "Which feature would like to use?" Then a list appeared: Gatling machine gun, slime trail, heat-seeking missiles, smoke screen, mines, ejector seats...

"Whoa. Mines?" asked Nellie, as she swerved the car dangerously over the slippery road. The slime trail ended just in front of them.

"I think... THATS A MINE RIGHT THERE!" shouted Zai, pointing to a little, black circular thing in the road.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" screamed Nellie, jerking the steering wheel to one side. Now, they were crossing onto a bridge.

KAAAA-_BOOOOOOM!_ The mine blew up about 10 feet behind them.

"Elizabeth tried to blow up the bridge!" screamed Amy, "If we'd hit that mine, the bridge would've collapsed and-" "No," whispered Zai pointing out the windshield, "That was a remotely detonated mine. Elizabeth will try and destroy this bridge, along with us."

Suddenly, an explosion rang out directly behind them. Nellie sped up. Another explosion, this one closer than the last one. Then another. Now, it was about 8 feet behind them. "Nellie, we're not going to make it!" screamed Amy. "Yes...we...will!" grunted Nellie, flooring the pedal. Another explosion rocked the Hummer. Everyone screamed (again). Then, an explosion tore the bridge apart right beneath the car. "HANG ON!" yelled Nellie. "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHGHG!" everyone screamed as the Hummer flipped end over end across the bridge. They all tumbled around inside the car. It felt like being in a washing machine. Amy thought she was going to die. The bridge was completely destroyed.

Suddenly, the car stopped rolling. Everyone was still. Nellie was the first to react. "Is everyone okay back there?" she asked in a quivering voice. "Uuunnnggh..." came the collective groans from everyone in the backseat. Amy sat up. "How did we all survive that?" she asked dazedly. "Vesper Hummers, virtually indestructible." replied Elias. "Look, there she goes!"

Everyone looked out the front window. Elizabeth's Hummer was just turning down a side street about 300 yards in front of them. "We'll never catch her." said Amy dejectedly. "Yes we can." said Alana. "I live here in Hong Kong, I know this city inside out. If we want to catch her, we need to take a left at the next intersection." "But," started Nellie, "that's going in the opposite-"

"Do it." interrupted Alana. Nellie gritted her teeth and turned down the intersection.

"Now turn at the second right." instructed Alana.

"Now turn left."

"Now keep straight until we hit the freeway."

Nellie followed Alana's instructions, and sure enough, when they emerged onto the freeway, Elizabeth's Hummer was only about 30 yards in front of them.

"Whoa. Thanks, Alana." said Nellie as she sped up again. Alana smirked.

The Hummer slowed down for a moment.

"What's she doing?" asked Elias with a hint of alarm in his voice.

"Uh, guys?" said Nellie nervously. She pointed out the window. A large 50 cal. machine gun had risen out of the ceiling of Elizabeth's car, and it was now aiming at them.

_**Well, that's that. I've got some pretty cool ideas for the next chapters, so stay tuned! **_


	12. Dan!

_**Hello everybody! I thought I would update extra early, since I made everyone wait so long last chapter. Enjoy!**_

"Uh, guys?" Nellie said nervously. A 50 cal. machine gun had just risen out of the roof of Elizabeth's car.

"GET DOWN!" she screamed. Everyone hit the floor. Amy squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the smashing glass of.

_THUDTHUDTHUDTHUDTHUD! _Amy looked over the seat. The front windshield wasn't shattered, but cracked.

"It's bulletproof glass!" she yelled. Everyone else looked over the seats.

"Bulletproof glass..." whispered Nellie. "BULLETPROOF GLASS! HA! TAKE THAT, SERPENT LADY!" she yelled at the top of her voice.

"Hello! Nellie! The glass won't hold forever!" warned Zai. "You'll have to use some of the Hummer's features."

Nellie started swerving to avoid the machine gun rounds. "Better." she said. She pressed the 'on' button on the screen.

"Hmm, what should I use?" muttered Nellie. Elias leaned over the seat. "Heat-seeking missiles! It's been ages since I blew up a car with one of those!" He reached toward the screen. Nellie smacked his hand away.

"Ow! What's the matter with you?" Elias complained, yanking his hand back.

Nellie rolled her eyes. "Think. If you blow up and the Hummer, who will get blown up with it?" she asked.

"Elizabeth." answered Elias.

"Exactly." replied Nellie. "But who else?"

Elias was silent for a moment.

"DAN AND YOUR UNCLE WILL GET BLOWEN UP, TOO!" yelled Nellie.

"I KNOW! I WAS THINKING HOW WE'RE GOING TO STOP THE HUMMER WITHOUT DESTROYING THEM, TOO!" He yelled back.

Nellie swerved again. The windshield was now in critical condition. One more round of fire, and they would all be dead. They crossed onto another bridge.

Elias pulled out his Baretta again.

"I'm going to end this now." He rolled down the window.

"Elias!" yelled Nellie, "You'll get yourself killed trying that!"

"Hmph. We'll see about that." he retorted. He carefully leaned out the window. Nellie held her breath and jerked the car again to avoid another round of bullets.

"Just a little farther..." murmured Elias. "Perfect!" He fired two rapid shots, one aimed directly at the muzzle of the machine gun, and the other right into the tailpipe of Elizabeth's car. The result was a loud _BOOOOOOM! _and a cloud of smoke billowed out of the tailpipe and it caught fire. One of the tires burst. The huge car veered to the left, then crashed into the side of the bridge. Suddenly, there was a puff of smoke in the car. A car chair, with the arms attached, and Elizabeth sitting on it blasted out of the roof. She rocketed about 25 feet into the air, and landed in the water.

"Ejector seat." whispered Amy. Nellie stopped the car and everyone rushed out toward the wrecked Hummer. Zai reached it first. He yanked on the handle, and the door flew open.

"Help me get him out!" he yelled. Nellie rushed over. She and Zai reached into the car and gingerly pulled out an unmoving person and laid them gently on the road.

Amy rushed over. _Please be okay, please be okay! _She begged silently. She looked down and let out a strangled sob when she saw who it was. The person they pulled out of the wreck was Dan. And he was soaked in blood.

_**That was pretty short, but it's not over. This is kind of like a trailer for the next chapter.**_

_April 14, 1989_

It was a rainy, moonless night. And 23 year-old Neha Kului was running for her life. She was riding a motorcycle on a deserted road. Her long, black hair whipped around in the wind, and she had several bruises on her arm, marking her golden-brown skin with purple spots. Suddenly, she heard the sound of several cars behind her. _My god, they've found me! _She thought frantically. The cars were gaining on her. He twisted the handlebars, and veered off the road into the darkness.

She raced through the pitch-black night, avoiding rocks and crashing through bushes and shrubs. She heard a noise behind her and looked back to see another car hot on her tail. In that moment she looked back, she hit a rock. The motorcycle wobbled, and she was thrown off., landing in the bushes. She scraped her arm badly. _No, no, no! _She begged silently. She pulled out two pistols from holsters on her belt. The car stopped in front of her, and someone stepped out into the darkness, their face hidden by shadows. Neha holstered her pistols.

"Such a shame, Neha." said her mysterious pursuer. "And you showed such promise."

"Promise?" spat Neha, "Promise to become what? A cold-blooded, stone-hearted murder like you?"

"Neha, Neha, Neha" her pursuer clicked their tongue. "You have to stop seeing things in that way. "

"Forget it." replied Neha. "And I'll do whatever's necessary to protect the people I love from you!"

"I'm sure you would." replied the person, taking a step forward.

Fast, impossibly fast, Neha whipped her pistols out and fired.

"AAAAAAAGGHH!" the mysterious person screamed, falling to the ground. Neha kicked them aside and jumped into her car, zooming away.

Neha was back on the open road again. Then, she heard a whirring noise above her. _Oh, no. Helicopters! _She almost panicked. Suddenly, the ground around he started kicking up in little clouds as the helicopter started shooting at her. _I'm not going to make it! _Then, up ahead, she saw the blinking lights._ The plane! _The plane was about 50 yards ahead of her and the helicopter rounds were getting closer and closer. _Almost...there! _She sped up. Now, the plane was about 70 feet...60 feet...50 feet...40 feet...30 feet...20 feet...10 feet... At the last possible second, Neha jumped. She was about 5 feet from the plane door. She ran hard, dived into the safety of the plane. She was safe.

They quickly put Neha under an ultra scan. She lay there, praying.

"He's alive, but he's sustained several bruises." the doctor told her. Neha almost fainted with relief. The doctor removed his mask.

"Where to?" he asked her. She rubbed her stomach, and the little fetus that had no idea of the troubles that his mother had just gone through.

"Somewhere...safe." she answered.

_** Well, that was fun to write. I'm really excited about the next couple chapters. They're a break in my current story, kind of like flashback stories. Read, review, and comment!**_


	13. Lost Chronicles: The birth of Zs

_**Hey guys! This is the first chapter in the flashback, 'Lost Chronicles'. The preview for this series is in the previous chapter.**_

_May 21, 1989_

23-year-old Neha Kului looked out the window. She was in her private plane, thousands of feet above the Indian Ocean. She was 2 months pregnant, and naturally, she was worried about the state of he baby because the doctors told her that he had gotten bruised during her escape. She absentmindedly rubbed her arm and winced. There was a long, jagged scar on her arm from she had cut it when she was escaping the Vespers.

"Madam, we're about to begin our decent." the captain said over the microphone. Neha exhaled in relief._ The more distance I can put between me and my nightmares, the better_. After spending some recovery time in Maldives, she decided India was the safest place to go. But nowhere was safe, and as soon as her baby was born, she would have to depart again. It might take months to get to her final destination. She looked out the window again. They were circling toward the ground, and she could make out the jungle that her Indian Home was nestled in.

A few minutes later, they landed on he landing strip near her house. She picked up her backpack, the only thing she was carrying with her, and slung it over her shoulder. She was only traveling with the bare essentials.

She stepped out of the plane into the humid air and breathed in the scent of the jungle. _India. It's always good to be here, _she thought. The pilot exited behind her. She turned around to say something to him. Suddenly, a wave of pain swept over her. She grabbed her stomach. "Uhhck.." she groaned.

"Are you alright, miss?" the pilot asked worriedly, stepping up to assist her. Neha doubled over.

"I-I don't feel very well.."

_A few weeks later..._

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Neha lay on the bed, groaning and screaming in pain.

"You're doing great!" the doctor coaxed. "Push!" Neha gasped and let out a little scream. The pain was like nothing she had ever experienced before.

"Push! You're almost done!" the doctor encouraged. Neha screamed again and gave a mighty push. Then, the pain subsided a little.

"You did it." the doctor whispered. He lifted the screaming baby up and handed him to her. Neha held her baby against her chest, then held him back a little to examine him. He was beautiful, even though he was born 1 and a half months early. He had caramel colored skin, and a little black hair. _And_, _he's got his father's amber eyes, _thought Neha.

"What are you going to call him?" asked the doctor. Neha looked at her baby again.

"Zade. I want to call him Zade" she whispered. The name suited him perfectly.

A few days later, Neha lay in bed with Zade, who was napping. She smiled, despite all the hardships she was facing. Having Zade was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Suddenly, there was an urgent knocking on her door.

"Come in!" she called out a little weakly.

The door opened and her companion burst in, panting.

"What's wrong?" asked Neha worriedly.

"Madam, we've got to get moving," he panted, "I've just received word. Elizabeth's found out where you are, and she just left. She should get here in about-" he looked at his watch, "-five hours. We've must leave, now!"

_How did she know I was here? _Neha wanted to ask, but it was a stupid question. Elizabeth knew things like that. She was scary that way. Neha jumped out of bed and picked up Zade. She grabbed her backpack and rushed out the door, wondering already where she should go next.

Neha was back in her plane, nursing Zade. She had decided that the only safe way to escape Elizabeth was to pick a place at random to go to. That's why she was headed to Hawaii. _She won't find me. She won't find me. She won't find me. _Neha repeated to herself. Now, her biggest concern was for her baby. If Elizabeth found them now, the first thing she would do is kill Zade. That was the kind of person she was.

_A few weeks later..._

Neha stood on her porch. She was now in Kilauea, a small town on the island of Kaua'i. Her new name was Yasmine, and this was where she hoped to stay for a long time, and maybe raise a family.

_7 years later..._

"AAAAAAA_AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"_

Neha, or Yasmine, was once again going through childbirth. She had gotten married in Kaua'i, but the marriage had ended badly a few years ago.

"Push! Push!" the doctor said comfortingly. She had decided to do a home birth, she had less chance of being found out.

"You're almost there!" the doctor coaxed. She screamed again. Then, no more pain.

"I can't believe it! You gave birth to a healthy set of twins!" the doctor exclaimed jubilantly. Yasmine managed a weak smile. The doctor handed her the babies, each bundled up in a blanket. One was a boy, the other was a girl. Although they were paternal twins, they still looked almost identical. One was a boy, the other a girl. Just then, the door open and a man and a woman rushed in, excitement all over their faces.

"Congratulations, Neha!" the woman exclaimed happily. Neha smiled weakly.

"Thanks, Hope. How's Amy?" Neha asked.

"Amy's doing great. And guess what?" Hope's eyes glittered.

"What?" asked Neha.

"I'm pregnant again!" she squealed.

"That's great!" Neha exclaimed. "I hope our kids will be friends."

"I'm sure they will be." smiled Hope. Her husband, Arthur, took a piece of paper and handed it to Neha.

"What are you naming them?" asked Hope. "They're beautiful."

"Zai." she decided. "Zai, and Zaina."

_** I hope that chapter is more fun to read than it was to write. I know, I did a terrible job on the childbirth parts. Give me a break! I know absolutely zero about childbirth! Well, read, review and comment! Also, you might notice that this chapter was added once, taken off, then re-added. I did that to add the bit about Hope and Arthur. Hope you liked!  
**_


	14. Lost Chronicles: First Fight

_**Hey readers. This is the second chapter of 'Lost Chronicles.' I'm also sad because I didn't get a single review last chapter. :( Maybe the last chapter wasn't good. :( :( :(**_

_January 5, 2003_

_ Cuzco, Peru _

Fourteen-year-old Zade Kabalui was worried. He was worried because a week ago, his mother had suddenly packed their bags, and rushed them off to the airport. And is if that wasn't weird enough, she hadn't had a set destination in mind.

"We'll take any flight with three seats that's open withing the next hour," she'd told the woman working at the counter. First, they'd flown to Lihu'e, The second-largest town in Kauai. From there, they'd flown to Los Angeles. Then Miami. After that, it was Cuzco. Now they were in a decent apartment near the heart of the city. He'd suspected the reason they took such a winding route to avoid being followed. Something was scaring his mother, and he took it upon himself to find out what it is. The only obstacle was...

"Hey Zade, can you take Zai and me downtown?"

"Hey Zade, Mom said you have to teach Zana me how to play the Siku. We are in Peru, after all."

"Zaaade! Teeeaaach meeeee!"

...the twins.

Hey, Zai and Zana were great. They were creative, artistic, strong willed, independent, and sensible, although Zai could be a little _too _stubborn at times, and Zana didn't always think of the consequences before acting, like the time she tried to rappel down the side of their house back in Kauai. But Zade knew that he was lucky to have siblings like Zai and Zana. He also knew that to do his investigation, he would have to get rid of them.

Just then, his mother came out of her room. She was wearing a long sleeve shirt. She always wore long sleeves. Zade only saw his mother's arms a handful of times. He knew the reason she hid her arms was because she had a long scar on her right arm that she didn't like to talk about. He knew she got it when she was trying to run from the Vespers, but if anyone saw her scar it could give her away.

She looked kind of tired. Her hip-length black hair was out, and she was carrying her backpack. Zade thought how remarkably similar Zana looked to her mother, although Zai and Zana had darker darker olive skin than him. Zai and Zana had also inherited their father's deep brown eyes, while Zade has his father's amber eyes, the color of dark honey. But they all had the same thick, silky, straight black hair.

"Zade, could watch Zai and Zana?" She said. "I have to run some errands." Zai and Zana came running up.

"Where are you going?" asked Zade casually.

"To meet my friend Enrique in Barrio de San Blas." she answered. She didn't like keeping secrets from her children. In their world, information was power.

"Mom, can't we come too?" whined Zana.

"Yeah!" added Zai, " I read all about Barrio de San Blas on the flights! A lot of it is pedestrian-only, with some of the best artists in all of Cusco! I even found this store that sells swords! Please can I go! I need a sword from Peru to add to my collection!"

Their mother smiled. "No, Zai. You stay here with Zana and Zade, " she told her son. "And, Zana, NO rappelling. I'll be back in about 2 hours." With that, she slung her backpack over shoulder and walked out the door.

Zai pouted and went back into his room. Zana wandered into the kitchen.

_Now's my chance! _Thought Zade. He put on his own backpack, put on a blond wig, and slipped out the door. _I'll catch a ride to Barrio de San Blas, find out where mother is, then be back. I'll be gone for 20 minutes! Zai and Zana probably won't even notice I'm gone!_

He went to the other side of the block so that if Zana or Zai looked out the window, they wouldn't see him standing in front of the building. After waiting for a few minutes, a taxi pulled up. He hopped in.

"Barrio de San Blas, _por favor." _he said in his best Spanish. Zana could've done much better. Learning languages was like second nature for the twins. Zana spoke fluent Spanish as well as Portugese, while Zai was pretty good in Mandarin and Arabic. Now they were racing to see who could learn the most Hindi in two months.

"Here." the driver grunted. Zade peered out the window. Yep, just like in the picture. He handed the taxi driver a wad of small bills and jumped out.

Zade wandered down a street.

"If I were Mother, where would I be?" he mumbled quietly.

"How about over in that cafe?" said Zai.

"Thanks Za-ZAI?" Zade whirled around. Sure enough, there were Zade and Zana standing two feet behind him.

"Hey Zade!" they said simultaneously.

"I thought I told you stay at the apartment!" he yelled.

"You didn't." Zai pointed out.

"GHGHGG! How did you even _find_ me? He demanded.

"Tch." Zana flipped her long hair over shoulder. "You're _so _predictable. Why else would you ask Mother where she was going? And FYI, the wig was a dead giveaway."

"GG-GG-GGAAA!" Zade exploded. He took a deep breath. "Alright, you can come with me. Just stay quiet, and don't attract attention to yourselves."

"Look who's talking." muttered Zai.

Zade summoned every ounce of self-control not to blow up.

They walked throught Barrio de San Blas for 45 minutes, keeping their eyes peeled for their mother.

Zade turned around.

"Guys, we should probably be getting back. Mom might not even-"

"SHHH!" interrupted Zana, "look!" There, in a seedy-looking cafe, their mother was talking with two men.

"Something's not right." muttered Zade. Their mother was backed against a wall, and the two men were taking to her with rough hand gestures. Zade and the twins couldn't hear what she was saying, but it seemed as though the men were threatening her.

_Alright, _thought Zade. The twins might excel in languages, fighting, and art, but Zade was the one that came up with the strategies. _Here are our options. One: We rush up and start a fight. Two: We hang back until out mother is in real trouble. Three: We call for help. _He decided to go with option two for now, with one and three for a backup. Quickly, he whispered his plan to the twins. They nodded and tensed, ready for action.

The men in the cafe were still talking to their mother. She looked like she was pleading, and the men were drawing closer. Suddenly, one of them whipped out a knife. Their mother, Yasmine, drew her own knife. But it was two against one. Zade nodded to the twins. Their faces were taught with fear and anticipation. This wasn't practice. This was the real thing. Zade leaped up, and from his pack, drew his weapon of choice: A dagger. Zai and Zana had also jumped up with their weapons: A _tanto _and a butterfly knife, respectively. They charged across the square in formation, just like they practiced. Just as one of the men was about to attack, Zade lashed forward with his dagger. The man managed to avoid a full impact, but the dagger skimmed his shoulder.

"AAUUGH!" The man screamed in pain. Now that they were closer, Zade could tell that they were quite ugly. The first man had a broken nose that had set badly, and the second man had a long scar running down his face. The man with the scar was the one Zade had slashed. He jabbed forward with his own knife, but Zade leaped backward. His mother was handling the other guy, so Zade and the twins had to handle this one. The man lashed out with his foot toward Zade's stomach. Zade didn't have time to duck, so he raised his arm in a block. Although his arm took the impact of the blow, the sheer strength of the man was enough to knock the wind out of him. He fell to the ground gasping.

The twins rushed in, side by side, weapons drawn. Zana leaped and kicked the man in the face, who recoiled. He was about to punch back when Zai launched himself into the air and jumped onto the man's back, giving Zana time to kick him in the stomach. But years of training had made the man's stomach as tough as steel, even though Zana's kick was solid, the man merely took a step backwards and lurched forward again. Zai jumped off the man's back and grabbed on to an awning hanging over the cafe, swinging onto it. He pulled out his rope dart.

"Zana! Catch!" He tossed her the dart. She caught it and tossed it Zade, who was just getting up, who tossed it back to Zai, who tossed it back to Zana.

"Pull!" He shouted. They all pulled simultaneously. The rope tightened around the man, and he couldn't move his arms or legs. Zade kicked him in the head, knocking him out cold. Their mother had just defeated her opponent and walked over to them.

"Mom, I can explain." began Zade. "You seemed so scared, so I was worried, so I followed you, and Zai and Zana-"

"You don't have to explain anything." their mother said softly, tousling his hair.

"I...don't?' asked Zade.

"No." replied their mother. "I expected you to find your way here. And you did a magnificent job."

"Now what?" asked Zana. Their mother looked around nervously.

"Now, we get out of here. I'm sure those guys had friends around here." With that, she grabbed the twins' arms and ran off, with Zade running behind them.

The mother spotted to motorcyclists standing by their bikes, drinking Coke. The mother ran up to them, shoving them aside. She jumped on one with Zana, while Zade grabbed Zai and jumped onto the other one.

"Zade!" she called. "You and Zai follow me!"

_But I've only ridden a motorcycle twice in my life!_ Thought Zade frantically.

"Uh, Zade? You start it by turning the key." Zai pointed out.

Zade smiled as he raced down the road, with Zai gripping him tightly around the stomach. He had a feeling that he and his family would be seeing a lot more action in the years to come.

_** Hope that chapter was good enough to get at least one review. Also hoped you liked it! Also, I'm thinking about adding a couple more characters into my fic after these flashbacks are over. Any suggestions?**_


	15. Lost Chronicles: Lost!

_**Hey readers! Yay! I got two reveiws last chapter, so I hope this chapter will be even better.**_

_March 3__rd__, 2004_

_ Himalayas, Nepal-Tibet border_

_ "WOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOO!"_

Eight-year old Zana Kabalui was having the time of her life. She was skiing in the Himalayas with her twin brother, Zai. Actually, he was snowboarding. She had told him that skiing was much easier to learn than snowboarding, so now he was set out to prove her wrong. Her big brother, Zade, was at the top of the slope near their hotel. He was fifteen.

Zana streaked down the mountainside, her long black hair flowing in the wind. She hadn't cut it in years, so now it had reached impressive length. Just then, her brother sped up next to her on his snowboard. He was on her right side, because he was goofy-footed. That meant he had to put his right in front to gain better control. He grinned at her through his goggles. She grinned back and gave him the thumbs-up signal. She leaned forward and sped up. He did the same.

They were nearing the end of the slope. At the bottom, there was a large mound that they'd made the day before for practicing jumps. Whoever made the better landing would be the winner. Zana prepared herself for the jump. She was 30 feet away...20 feet...10 feet...5 feet...

"YAAAAAAAAA-HAAAA! Zana went sailing into the air. Her brother was right next to her. Then, the ground came rushing up. Zana tensed, then hit the ground. She wobbled slightly, but managed to keep her balance, then skidded to a stop. Zai landed a second later, windmilling his arms to keep his balance. Zana reached out and tapped him on the chest, and he went toppling onto the ground face-first.

"Ugfff!" he screamed, his voice muffled because he had just swallowed a mouthful of snow. Zana reached down and brother her brother to his feet. He stood up, spitting out snow.

"I won!" she taunted.

"No fair, you pushed me!" he complained, spitting out another mouthful of snow.

"Yeah, but you would've fallen anyway." she said.

"Would not!" he retorted

"Would too!" she replied.

Before they could get into a back-and-forth, they heard a faint rumbling in the distance. They also heard their big brother, Zade, calling to them from above. He was shouting and running toward them, waving his arms frantically. They couldn't quite get what he was saying.

"AVALANCHE!" He called.

"Did he say, 'Calabash'? asked Zana.

"No." said Zai, "AVALANCHE!"

Zana looked off to the right a little, where a small avalanche was building up. It was pretty small, only about 10 feet wide, but it still big enough to bury two eight-year olds.

Zana stood frozen in fear. The avalanche was picking up speed.

"RUN!" Zai shouted in her ear. Zana snapped out of her trance and ran, right behind Zai. But it was hard to move quickly through the waist-deep snow. The avalanche was getting closer. Suddenly, it crashed into a tall tree. The tree was pushed out of the ground and rolling toward them. The avalanche was only about 50 away now. They weren't going to make it. The fallen tree was going to kill them even faster than the avalanche would.

"Hang on!" yelled Zai. The avalanche was almost on top of them. Zai lunged toward his sister and tackled her to the ground. The wave of snow crashed over them.

"Zai!" called out as her brother was swept away from her.

Then everything went black.

A few hours later, Zana opened her eyes. Everything was still black. _Am I...dead? _She wondered. Then, as her eyes adjusted to the dark, she realized that she was buried in the snow, but there was a small area around her so she could breath. She noticed there was a faint glow of moonlight above her. She stood up, pushing through about two feet of snow that was covering her. She looked around. Then, she realized...

"Zai?" she looked around. Nothing.

"ZAAIII! WHERE ARE YOU!" She screamed in dispair. Nothing.

About thirty feet away, Zai slowly opened his eyes. He was buried up to his neck in snow. He slowly pushed his way out, then collapsed onto the ground, panting. Then, he heard something.

"Zai? ZAAAAAIIII!" A voice screamed.

"Zana," he muttered, getting up, his head clearing a little.

"ZANA!" He called.

"ZAI!" he heard his name again. He rushed toward where his sister's voice seemed to be coming from.

Suddenly, he bumped into someone, knocking them down. He looked down.

"Zana!" he exhaled in relief. His sister jumped up and threw her arms around his neck.

"Zai, I was so worried about you." Zana panted.

"Where are we?" asked Zai, taking stock of their surroundings. They were in the middle of a forest, with tall conifers all around them.

"I don't know!' said Zana, "All I remember is there was an avalanche, then you pushed me out of the way, then I woke up, and-"

"We've got to get out of here." said Zai, nervousness rising in his voice. Eight-year olds weren't meant to be lost in the middle of nowhere like this!

"Let's just try and get out of this forest." Zana said. They trudged forward through the thick snow toward the place that they hoped they might be the edge of the forest.

They were just getting worried that they might be trapped here for all eternity when they saw a break in the trees.

"Maybe that's the way to get out of here!" exclaimed Zai. They raced toward the edge of the forest. They were just about to step out when Zada spotted something on the ground.

"Whoa, Zai! Check it out!" he whispered. Zai looked at the ground. There, right in front of them, was a huge footprint. _Huge. _About a foot wide and about two-and-a-half feet long. It had five enormous toes, with blunt claws.

"_Yeti_" they both whispered in awe. Zai looked from the footprint, to the edge of the forest, to his sister. They had to get out of here, but could they pass up a chance like this? To look for a _yeti_?

"Well, he have to get back..." said Zana undecided.

"But this is a Yeti..." Zai said.

"Mom and Zade are probably worried sick about us..."

Zada looked Zai.

Zai looked at Zana.

"Yeti." said Zana

"Yeti." said Zai.

"Obviously." muttered Zana.

"Going back, tch. What were we thinking. " said Zai.

Their decision being unanimous, they looked around for more tracks. Zai spotted another one about five feet away.

"Based on the distance between the two prints, I'd say that the yeti was running." speculated Zai.

"Probably trying to get away from the avalanche." muttered Zana, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out her camera.

Zai stared.

"You managed to save your _camera?_" he asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah!" answered Zana. "I always travel with my camera. Don't you?"

"Yeah, but I lost mine during the avalanche." said Zai.

Zana shrugged. "I'll take pictures of the prints for evidence in case we get lucky."

They followed the tracks in silence for a few minutes. The prints were starting to get closer together.

"The yeti must've stopped running." said Zai. "Maybe we're getting close to it's home. Maybe we should-"

"_AAAAAAAAUUEEEAHAHAH!_" an ear-splitting roar split the air. The twins grabbed on to each other.

"What was that?" asked Zai, trambling.

"Maybe it was the yeti." answered Zana, also trembling. The twins slowly let go of each other.

"Do you think maybe we should head back?" Zai asked.

"Well..." Zana sounded undecided.

"Of course not." said Zai.

"Yeah. We could be onto something big!" agreed Zana.

"Only a total wimp would give up after they've come this far." Zai decided.

Zana felt much better. Zai always helped her make up her mind. They trekked on, Zana taking videos of the tracks, their ears were peeled for any more roars. After about fifteen minutes, the tracks disappeared into a cave.

"Should we?" asked Zai. Zana nodded. If they were going to take a picture of a yeti, they were going to have to enter it's lair.

Zai reached into his pocket and pulled out a matchbox. Zana knew that Zai always carried either that or a lighter with him, 'in case I have to set something on fire.' as he put it. He struck a match, lighting up a small area around them. They walked through the threshold into the cave.

"Look!" Zana pointed to the cave wall. Against the wall was a tall pile of bones. Zai shivered and kept going. The darkness was engulfing them. Suddenly, a breeze blew through the cave, blowing out the small flame of Zai's match. Zai inhaled nervously and lit another couple matches.

"Zana, look!" Zai held the matches out in front of him. There, half buried in the snow, was a small, blue box. Zai and Zana inched closer.

"Oh my god!" whispered Zana. On the side of the blue box was a large 'T' with a white Bear next to it.

"Tomas." whispered Zai in awe. Zana reached out to touch it when suddenly, they heard the roar again.

"_AAAAAAAAUUEEEAHAHAH_ _!_" This time it was much closer, maybe 20 feet deeper into the cave. Zai dropped the last of his matches.

Zai and stood frozen in the pitch darkness for a second. Then, they heard heavy footsteps crunching through the snow.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" at this point the twins turned and fled, Zana twisting around and snapping a few rapid pictures. She hoped they would look okay, but right now that was the least of the problems. They burst out of the cave and crashed through the forest, twigs and small branches snagging on their clothes. They didn't stop until they reached the edge of the forest, where they both collapsed from exhaustion. They yeti wasn't chasing them anymore.

"That, _pant_, _pant_, was..._pant_, AWESOME! _pant...pant._" Zai panted.

Zana nodded, also panting.

"I just hope Mom won't kill us when we get back." she said worriedly.

Zai shrugged. "Dying will be worth it. We saw a yeti!" he thought for a minute. "Besides, Mom probably won't kill us. She not like-"

Zai was cut off by a sound of a engine approaching. Suddenly, the bright lights of a snowmobile blinded them momentarily. Zai and Zana shielded their eyes. The snowmobile came to a stop in front of them.

"Zade!" Zana exlaimed. He was on the snowmobile, a mix of worry, relief, and surprise etched onto his face.

"Zai! Zana! Is that really you!" Zade jumped off the snowmobile and threw his arms around them. "We thought you were gone forever!" he exclaimed.

"Mmfff, your crushing me!" Zana complained. Zade let go of them.

"What happened to you guys?." he asked. "Did either of you get hurt during the avalanche? I tried to get to you in time, but-" he trailed off, looking down at the ground. "I thought you were dead, when the snow just swallowed you up."

"We're not hurt." replied Zai.

Zade exhaled in sheer relief."Good. Hop on, I've got to get you back to the hotel." he told them, jumping on his snowmobile.

Zai looked at Zana questioningly. _Should we tell him about the yeti and the Tomas Box?_ Just like Amy and Dan, who were thousands of miles away, they could often tell what each other was thinking.

_No, _she responded silently, _not yet._

Zai and Zana jumped on the snowmobile, and Zade took off up the mountainside. The secrets they uncovered on the mountain would be a secret shared by just the two of them.

"Mom is worried sick about you!" Zade shouted over the wind. "She'll be so relieved to find out you're okay."

After riding for about 5 minutes, they reached their hotel. Up in their room, their mother was standing by the front door, putting on her coat. When she saw the three of them, she dropped her it.

"Zai! Zana! You're alright!" she wrapped her arms around them. "I was just about to go out to look for you again." She looked at Zade. "Where did you find them?"

"They were a little ways down the mountain, at the edge of the forest."

"The forest?" their mother asked incredulously. Zai saw something pass over her eyes. Was is nervousness, or maybe even fear?

"Well, I'm beat. I'm going to bed." said Zai casually.

"Me, too." replied Zana, yawning. She followed Zai off to their room.

_Did they discover the box?_ The mother wondered silently. _If they did, than they are doing better than I thought. But now, we are in even more danger. We must leave tomorrow morning._

Back in the forest, the trees shook with another roar.

_**Sorry that chapter didn't have a fight scene. I probably should've included one, but I guess It's nice to have a break. There will be three more flashback chapters before the finale.**_

_**Read, review and comment!**_


	16. Lost Chronicles: Future Rivals Meet

_**Hey everyone! I decided to update quickly this time, but I can space out the chapters a little more if you want me to.**_

_May 3__rd__, 2005_

_ Tokyo, Japan_

Nine year-old Zai Kabalui was lost. Not physically lost, but lost in thought. He was walking down a small street with his older brother, Zade. For once, Zana wasn't with them. Zai had noticed that he and Zana had started doing less and less things together in the past year.

Zai sighed. Things around him were changing. Ever since they'd gone back to Kauai from the Himalayas, things hadn't been the same at home. His mother was around much less than she used to be, attending business, and he and Zana had been slowly growing apart. That's why, when Zai had wanted to go and explore Tokyo, Zade was the only one willing to go with him. Usually, they twins did everything together.

Zai tried to push those thoughts out of his mind. _I'm sure things will be back to normal soon,_ he told himself. _This is just a tough time. _He was just wondering why their mother had dragged them to Tokyo when Zade interrupted him.

"Hey, Zai? Are you hungry?" he asked. "'Cause I am."

That was kind of an odd question, seeing that it was only ten in the morning. But Zai guessed that something was up.

"I guess so." he answered.

"Good." without waiting for a reply, Zade dragged Zai into a cafe down the block.

A few minutes later, Zade and Zai were seated at a small table in a cafe, waiting for their order to be taken.

"Hey Zai?" Zade interrupted the scilence.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Remember back in Peru a few years ago, we helped Mom in that fight?"

"Of course." Zai laughed. "How could I forget? It was my first fight. _Our _first fight." He sighed.

"Yeah." sighed Zade. "The thing is, I think the same sort of thing is happening now."

"You mean Mom's in trouble?" asked Zai worriedly. Zade nodded.

"I put a GPS tracker on her phone, and she's been in the same place for ages." he said. "I think maybe we should check it out."

Zai wasn't sure how serious that was.

"Don't you think that she might be at a meeting?" he asked.

Zade nodded. "I thought that at first, but I also hacked into her e-mail account, and I saw a message about a 'meeting place'."

"You hacked into Mom's e-mail account?" Zai asked incredulously. He sounded amazed. "You've _got _to teach me how to do that."

Zade blushed slightly. "Sure, I can teach you, Zai. But, that message was signed-"

He leaned closer to Zai and whispered the name. Zai jerked back.

"NO WAY." he whispered hoarsely. "Are you serious?"

"Yep." Zade said grimly. "Mom's definitely going to run into some trouble."

"Well then we've got to get out of here!" Zai exclaimed, jumping up. "Mother is probably in serious trouble!"

Now it was Zai who was running, dragging Zade down the street, who was looking intently at his phone.

"If we want to get to Mom, we'll need to take a taxi." he said, looking at the location of their mother's phone.

They ran down the block and stopped at the intersection.

"Should we go back and get Zana?" asked Zade slowly. He, too, had noticed that his younger siblings weren't doing as many things together as they used to.

Zai shook his head. "With a situation like this, we need to get there as soon as possible. We don't have time to go back to the hotel." Zade could tell that Zai had a hint of disappointment in his voice. He probably wished they could go back for Zana.

The taxi pulled up in front of the dingy warehouse that Zade had instructed the driver to take them to. The driver shivered and didn't say a word. He clearly wasn't comfortable being here.

Zai and Zade walked up to the warehouse. It had a huge metal door with a rusty handle. Zade cautiously pushed it. The door swung open, leading into a dingy hallway.

"This isn't a normal warehouse." Zade whispered. Zai nodded. They walked down the hallway, which had puddles on the cement floor. At the end of the hallway was another door. Zai gasped quietly. The door was painted with the insignias of the 4 branches: The Tomas bear, the Lucian snake, the Janus wolf, and the Ekaterina dragon. The Tomas bear the the biggest of the four, though. Suddenly, Zai got a stabbing feeling in his stomach. He doubled over.

"Whats wrong?" Zade exclaimed, worried.

"I-I think Zana's in danger." Zai muttered. He didn't knew how he knew, he suddenly felt a stabbing sense that his twin sister was in distress. _Must be a twin thing, _he thought.

Zade looked at his younger brother strangely, then shrugged. He trusted Zai's judgment. After all, they _were _twins.

Zade slowly pushed open the door. Behind it was a carpeted, well-lit hallway, not anything like the one that they were currently in. They cautiously stepped in and started walking. They had gone about ten feet when they heard a shout coming from further down the hall.

"That sounded like Mom!" exclaimed Zade. He and Zai broke into a run down the twisting hallway. At the end was another door. This one had a fingerprint scanner for security.

"Shall I?" asked Zade. Zai shrugged and nodded. What did they have to lose?

Zade pressed his had against the pad. A green bar rolled down the pad, scanning his fingerprints. After a few seconds, the whole pad turned blue.

_Access Granted. Welcome, Zade Rabak!_

The door slid open.

_ Zade Rabak? _thought Zai as they walked in. _I didn't know that was his name. Come to think of it, I never knew Zade's father. I wonder..._

Inside the door was a large room with about five doors along the walls, each with a label on it. They heard another muffled shout from the 'meetings' room. Without hesitating, Zade and Zai rushed over and threw open the door, and gaped at what they saw.

In the room were ten people. And two of them were Zana and Yasmine were bound and gagged, tied to two chairs. Their eyes widened with relief and surprise when they saw them.

A woman standing in font of Zana and Yasmine whirled around. Zai flinched back. _She looks familiar, _he thought. She glared at them for a second, then she relaxed with recognition.

"Zade. It's certainly been a long time, hasn't it darling?" he said in a sickly-sweet voice. Zai gasped. He knew who she resembled! Zade! With a start, Zai realized that she had the same amber-colored eyes that made Zade so unique.

"I-Isabel Kabra? What are you doing here?" he asked with something in his voice that Zai couldn't place.

"Why, I was just having a talk with your mother. She's not being very cooperative, as you might've guessed. And your sister..." Isabel sighed. "She's quite rude and un-ladylike. Such bad qualities in a young woman. Well, like mother, like daughter, I suppose."

"Shut your mouth." Zade growled.

"Yeah, Isabel, stop! This has gone far enough." a man spoke up from the corner of the room. He was huge, with a military-style buzz-cut and a red face.

"Quiet, Eisenhower." Isabel snapped to the big man. She turned around, to all the rest of the people in the room. "None of you intervene." she warned, drawing a pistol.

Zai looked around for the first time and studied the other people assembled in the room. There was Eisenhower, the man who had just spoken out, and a woman with dreadlocks standing next to him. Zai recognized her as the world-famous artist Cora Wizard. Zai even had some of her paintings in his room back in Kauai. A boy that Zai assumed was her son was standing next to her. He was wearing a couple tons of jewelry, including gold and platinum necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. Zai couldn't understand why anyone would want to dress like that. He preferred to wear loose clothing that allowed easy movement.

On the other side of the room was an older man wearing a bright yellow suit with a baby blue shirt carrying a diamond-tipped cane. Zai thought he looked Korean. He was sweating slightly. Next to him was a blond woman, wearing a Russian KGB uniform and a face that looked like it might have been carved out of marble. Further down were two more kids, a boy and a girl, around Zai's age.

_They must be Isabel's kids, they look just like her. _thought Zai. They both looked slightly scared. The girl looked at Zai and smiled slightly. Her brother nudged her in the ribs, and she quickly looked away. Finally, there was another kid who looked about thirteen standing directly next to Isabel. He had really, short dark hair and the Lucian insignia on his shoulder.

Zade looked at Isabel's children for a few seconds. Zai saw recognition flash through his eyes.

"Ian! Natalie! Come here!" Isabel barked. Her two children, Ian and Natalie, inched forward, looking terrified. _What will Isabel make her children do? _thought Zai. He felt a twinge of sympathy for Ian and Natalie, their mother was clearly abusing them.

"Do you have the new dart gun that Daddy got you for your quarter-birthday?" Isabel asked her daughter. Natalie looked on the verge of tears. Her brother was trying to put on a brave front.

"Natalie, stop acting like a sniveling, jelly-boned coward and get your dart gun!" He scolded. But his eyes said something different. His eyes were saying, _Do what she tells you, you know what happens when you disobey!_

"Natalie! Get your dart gun! Now!" She barked again. Natalie was looking _really _scared now. Zai realized he had to do something.

Isabel might be an adult with a gun, but Zai had the element of surprise on his side. He leaped forward, and kicked with all his might at Isabel's hand.

"_BLAM!" _a shot went off. Then, the room broke out into chaos. Eisenhower started shaking the older Korean man by the shoulders, screaming something about burritos and slimy Ekats and someone called 'Bae'. The blond woman was shouting at Cora in Russian, who was shouting back in Russian. Ian and Natalie were standing in a corner, trying to become invisible.

"Zai!" Zade whispered. "You get Mom and Zana free, I'll handle Isabel." He handed Zai his Swiss Army Knife. Zai took it and nodded. He dashed around Isabel to where his mother and sister were tied up. He reached into his pocked and pulled out the knife that Zade had given him. Just before he could cut them free, the kid with the dark hair and the Lucian insignia on his shoulder leaped between them. Zai noticed that he was wearing sunglasses.

"You think I would just sit here and _let _take the prisoners?" he snarled.

"Duh! Of course not!" Zai retorted. _Why are these things never easy? _Without saying another word, he jabbed forward with his fist. The kid leaped back, and for the first time Zai noticed that he was wearing sharp blades on his knuckles.

_Gotta stay away from those, _he noted. The kid jumped forward again, and slashed forward.

"Whoa!" Zai dropped to the floor under the range of his blades and kicked his opponent's legs out from underneath him.

"Uff!" he fell to the ground. Zai jumped up and was about to bring his foot down on his head when the kid raised his arm.

"AAAUGH!" Zai yelled out in pain as his leg connected with the blades on his opponent's knuckles. His sisters eyes widened in fear. Now Zai was _really _mad. There was no way he was going to lose to this punk. He lunged forward, but collapsed on his bleeding leg. He struggled to get up, but by then, it was too late. His opponent had managed to pick up Isabel's gun off the floor, and was now aiming it right at Zai's forehead. His hands shook, as if he couldn't bring himself to shoot. Or maybe he was just torturing Zai. Zai tried to get up again, but his leg hurt too much. _Well, _he thought, _I guess that-_

"Hrrk!" Zai was interrupted from his thoughts. He looked up. Elias was standing frozen, his eyes wide. A dart was embedded in his neck.

"T-traitor.." he muttered, then slumped to the floor. Natalie was standing behind him, holding her dart gun.

"Natalie!" Zai exclaimed in surprise and relief. He had not even met her yet, and she was already betraying her fellow Lucians saving his life? In any case, Zai decided that he should be grateful.

"Thanks, Natalie." he told her sincerely. She blushed slightly at the praise and pressed something into his hand, then turned around and hurrying away. Before Zai could figure out her strange behavior, he heard another muffled shout. Zai stuffed the thing Natalie had handed him into his pocket and limped over to where his sister and mother were tied up. He pulled out his brother's Swiss Army Knife and cut through the ropes holding his sister and mother, and they pulled off their gags. Zana jumped up.

"What happened to you?" Zai asked them.

"Zana and I were shopping when Isabel and about ten bodyguards kidnapped us." Yasmine explained, flexing her wrist.

"Where is Isabel? I want a crack at her!" demanded Zana.

Zai pointed over to where Zade and Isabel were battling it out. Zai hadn't expected Isabel to be such a proficient fighter.

"I'd help you two, but I my leg can't support my weight." he told Zana. She nodded and rushed over to help Zade. Most of the other people in the room had left, except for Ian and Natalie, as well as the young Lucian that Zai had been fighting. With dismay, Zai realized that he had gotter up, and was now fighting at Isabel's side.

_He's tough, _thought Zai. _Dangerous, too._ Just then, Zai's mother, Yasmine, charged into the fight. Now it was three against two. Surely the odds were in their favor now. Zai felt wretched, watching from the sidelines while his family battled it out. Then, he saw Isabel shove Zade backward. Zana rushed in to take his place, only to have the kid with the sunglasses kick her in the stomach. _Hard._ Zana fell to the floor gasping.

Now Zai was extremely mad. He and Zana might have their differences, but she was still his twin sister. And now she was on the floor, gasping in pain. Trying to ignore the pain in his leg, he rushed over and kicked the kid with sunglasses in the neck. He hadn't seen Zai coming, so he was taken by surprise. He stumbled, trying to regain his balance. Zade used this opportunity to deliver a swift punch to the temple, knocking him to the floor. Now it was Zade, Yasmine, and Zana (sort of) against Isabel. She picked up the kid with the sunglasses by the arms and shook him. He slowly opened his eyes. Without another word, Isabel ran off. Her children quickly followed, Natalie throwing Zai one more glance over her shoulder. The young Lucian hesitated for a minute, trying to decide weather to attack again, when they heard Isabel calling, "Elias! Get out, now!" The young Lucian, Elias snarled and ran off after his branch leader.

_I wouldn't want to run into him again, _thought Zai. _He's really a really tough and dangerous opponent._

About an hour later, Zade supported Zai as he, Zai, and Zana walked down the street. Yasmine had gone home already to get tickets to get out of Tokyo, but Zai had wanted to spend just another hour in the city. Zana had come with them this time. Zade looked at his younger brother and sister.

"Hey." he said. "Are you guys hungry?"

_**Another chapter: Successful! At least I thought so. But I want to know your thoughts, so read and comment!**_


	17. Lost Chronicles: Kidnapped! Part 1

_**Hey, everyone. I decided to write a couple more flashback chapters. If you don't mind spoilers, send me a message.**_

_The Great Wall of China_

_ October, 2006_

Zade Rabak (as he is really called) was listening to his little sister complain.

"My feet really hurt." she commented for the sixth time in the last eight minutes. (Zade had been counting.)

Right now, he, Zai, and Zana were hiking down the Great Wall. Their mother, Yasmine, was attending business. Zade sighed. His mother was _always _attending business. He wondered when she would tell him what the 'business' was, or when he would be able to take part in it. Their mother had suggested that they take a hike and be back at the meeting point at four o'clock. They were on their way back to the meeting point right now.

"Zade? Are you doing okay?" asked Zai. "You like kinda worried."

"I'm fine, Zai." he he said quickly, glancing at his brother. Zai and Zana were now ten, and they were much more mature. Zai had grown quiet and serious, although sometimes he could be temperamental and sarcastic. Zana was tough-headed and strong-willed, but she did show a softer side occasionally. Zade knew that they could grow up to be fine agents. The crowds were thinning out as they reached the meeting point with their mother. The crowds had just died away when someone crashed through the came rushing up to them..

"Ian! What are you two doing here?" Zai exclaimed when he saw who it was. They had encountered Ian and in Japan a year ago, during a disastrous meeting of the branches.

Ian didn't reply. He stepped forward and pointed a knife at Zana's neck.

"Hey! What is wrong with you!" she yelled.

"Shut up." Ian snarled.

A second later, Isabel, Elias, and Natalie pushed through the crowd.

"Oh, god." muttered Zade. "What do you want with us?" he asked, a hint of exasperation on his voice.

"Oh, I think that's rather obvious. Well done, Ian." Isabel chuckled. Her face hardened. "Elias, attack!"

"My pleasure!" Elias jumped forward, baring his knuckle blades. Zade was about to lash back when Zai stopped him.

"Let me do this." he told Zade.

"Are you sure? I-"

"I'll do it." Zai slipped on a pair of gloves.

_Oh, no! _thought Zade, _He's using his gloves! I hope he doesn't hurt himself._

Elias slashed forward with blades, aiming for Zai's neck. Zai ducked, then jumped and swiped his hand at Elias' face. Elias leaned back, but Zai's gloved hand caught him on the side of the cheek.

"UUUGH!" Elias howled slightly in pain. On the side of his cheek were three, bloody scratch marks. He looked at Zai. "What the devil-!"

"Clawed gloves." Zai informed him nonchalantly, holding up his hand for Elias to look at. The gloves' fingers' each were tipped with a sharp, metal claw.

"Sweet." Elias commented.

"Thanks." Zai replied.

"Where'd you get them?" asked Elias.

"Sorry, that's confidential." Zai replied. "Now, back to fighting."

"Grrr.." Elias growled and kicked, aiming for Zai's head. Zai grabbed Elias' leg and flung him toward the ground. Elias jumped up.

Meanwhile, Ian held the knife to Zana's neck. Zana tensed, then dropped to the ground. Ian stepped back. Apparently, he was not the fighting type.

_Too bad for you, _thought Zana, _Because I'm going to put you through a lot of pain._

She charged toward him. He whipped out a taser.

"No way." Zana Before Zana could react, he aimed and shot.

"GAAH!" Zana fell to the ground. "Oh, no, you didn't" she murmured, then passed out.

Zai glanced over at his sister. She was lying, unmoving, on the ground.

"Zana!" he yelled in alarm. He tried to reach his sister, but Elias grabbed onto his shirt and yanked him back.

"You don't know when to give up, do you?" Elias taunted.

"Duh, no. Look who's talking!" Zai replied. Elias jabbed toward Zai's chest. Zai grbbeded Elias' fist and, using his momentum, flung Elias around in a circle.

"GAUGH!" Elias grunted as Zai let go. Elias landed a couple feet from Zana was lying on the ground. Zai lunged toward him, but Elias grabbed Zana and used her as a shield. Zai stopped, mid-attack. Elias smirked.

"Looks like I win this round, loser!" He lifted Zana off the ground and flung her over the edge of the wall.

"ZANA!" Zai peered in horror over the edge. Zana was hanging on to a loose brick, her face contorted in pain.

"Zana! Are you okay!" he called.

"I've been held at knife point, beaten by a _Lucian,_ tasered, then thrown off the Great Wall, hanging fifty feet above my messy death. I'm just peachy." she replied . Zai rolled his eyes.

"Here, I'll help you up." Zai stretched his hand down, but he felt a someone grab his collar.

"Yeah, know what? I can't let you do that!" Elias shoved Zai, who teetered and lost his balance, toppling over the edge. He flailed out, his clawed gloves scraping against the side of the Wall. He scraped to a stop, his gloves wedged into small cracks on the Wall's surface. Elias looked over the edge at them.

"Love to stay and chat, but can't. Maybe we can HANG OUT another time!" he laughed, walking away.

_It's Zade against Isabel, Elias, and Ian, and Natalie. I hope he'll be alright, _thought Zai.

"That jerk." growled Zana. "The next time I see him, I will have him begging for mercy or so help me I will rip off his fingers and shove them down his throat!"

"Take it easy, Zana." said a voice from above.

"Mom!" they both exclaimed simultaneously.

"Don't move- I'll pull you up." Their mother reached down and pulled up Zana, the Zai.

"I was waiting for you at the rendezvous point for a long time, so I got a little worried." Their mother told them. She looked around. "Where's Zade?"

Zai looked around. There was no sign of Zade, Elias, or the Kabras.

"Oh my god." he whispered. Their mother turned gone-white.

"They've taken him."

_** Hoped you liked that chapter. This chapter is Part One of Kidnapped, so this chapter has a continuation. Also, I spread out the release of the chapters a little. Read and comment!**_


	18. Lost Chronicles: Kidnapped! Part 2

_**Hey, readers. I'm releasing this chapter a while after the last one because it was so hard to get right. Enjoy!**_

_October, 2006_

_ Beijing Airport_

_ A few hours after the occurrences of the last chapter..._

Zana was scanning the screen for their flight number. _Rome, Sydney, Stockholm, Abu Dhabi, Lahore, Riyadh, Cairo, Lima, Santiago, Auckland, Shanghai, Bangkok, Manila, Seoul, Tokyo...aha! _

"Mom! Zai! I see it!" she called out. Her mother and twin brother walked over.

"Look!" she told them. "The sixteenth one down. Mumbai. At gate E14." Yasmine picked up her bag.

"Let's go."

Zana sat in her seat on the plane. Because they were in a hurry, she, her brother, and her mother were all in separate areas of the plane. Nobody had taken the seat next to her yet. She was just about to get up and ask Zai if he wanted to sit with her when a tall, blond-haired man sat next to her.

"Hello." he greeted her. He had a slight Australian accent.

"Hello." she replied. Across the aisle, a woman and a boy sat down. The boy looked just like the man, with the same wavy blond hair.

"Is that your son?" she asked the man. He nodded.

"Would you like to sit with him?" he asked, "I'm sure that this flight would be more enjoyable for both of you if you had someone your own ages to talk to."

That was unusual question. "Sure, I guess, if he wants to." she replied slowly.

"Good. I'll ask him." the man leaned over the aisle and whispered something to his son. He looked anxious. His son whispered something back. His dad said something. His son nodded, and got up. He stood in the aisle while his father took his seat. He sat down next to Zana, who was growing more uncomfortable with the situation. The boy sat down next to Zana.

"Hey." he said. He had a similar accent to his father's.

"Hi. I'm Zana." she replied.

"I'm Kaha. "

"That's a cool name." Zana replied. "Is it Hawaiian?"

"You speak Hawaiian?" Kaha asked, his green eyes glittering with interest.

"Kind of, I live in Hawaii." Zana replied.

"Cool." Kaha leaned closer. "I've always wanted to go there."

"It is pretty cool." agreed Zana.

"So, what do you plan to do in India?" Kaha was just being friendly, not nosy.

"Oh...visiting family." Zana replied, which was only partly a lie. Zade was family, and she was sure that she was going to be seeing more of his family than she would've liked. "How 'bout you?"

"My parents have business there." he said. He looked away.

"Is...something wrong?" Zana asked.

"No, it's just my parents, they're always working. They're never around." he said.

"Yeah, my mom's away a lot, too." Zana said quietly.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Kaha asked.

"I have a twin brother, Zai, and an older brother, Zade. He's in India right now, with our aunt." Now that wasn't a lie at all, but she made it sound like it was a happy family visit, not a kidnapping.

"How old are you?" he asked.

"Ten-and-a-half." she replied.

Kaha's eyes lit up. "I'm ten, too!" Zana smiled. She had never seen someone with such bright, intense eyes.

Meanwhile, Zai was stretched out by the window. There was nobody next to him, so he had three seats to himself. Not to mention that they were in business class. After a while, he decided to get up and stretch his legs. He stood up and walked down the aisle. A walking for a few minutes, he saw his sister. He was about to say something to her when he noticed that there was a person sitting next to her. He was about their age, with blond hair and green eyes. He and Zana were talking excitedly, their voiced hushed.

_Interesting. _Zai smirked and kept walking.

_Hours later..._

Zana, Zai, and their mother were riding in a rental car through the outskirts of Mumbai. Zana glanced over at her mother. Her face was taught, and she was staring straight ahead, her hands tightly gripping the wheel. Zana had no idea how her mother figured that Zade was being held in Mumbai.

'I just know it.' their mother had said back in Beijing. 'I know exactly where he is, and I know exactly what they're going to do to him.' Zana figured it probably had something to do with her mother's secret past, or maybe she had some 'mother's instincts' or a 'woman's intuition' or something like that. Anyway, as far as Zana knew, her mother was one-hundred percent sure that this is where Zade was. And as far as her mother was sure, Zana was sure. Her mother was never wrong about these things. And Kaha, with his deep green eyes...

"Hey, Zana? Are you still alive over there?" Zai asked. Zana was jerked out of her thoughts. She kept thinking of Kaha, and how he smiled, and his glittering eyes.

"Uh, yeah. I'm totally fine." she answered.

"Are you sure? Ever since we've left the airport, you've been getting this dreamy look on your face, and-"

"I said I'm okay!" Zana snapped. "Why can't you just drop it!"

"Okay, Okay. Just asking. Sheesh." Zai turned away. Something was definitely bothering his sister.

After fifteen minutes, they pulled up in front of a large villa. _At least it's not a creepy old warehouse, _thought Zana. When they were in Tokyo, she and her mother had been shopping when two masked grabbed them and thrown them into the back of a van at gunpoint, then driven them to a warehouse. She shuddered.

"Here's the plan," their mother whispered to Zai and Zana as they got out of the car. "Stay behind me. If anything goes wrong, stick together." With that, their mother pushed open the gates in front of the villa and walked in. That didn't sound like much of a plan to Zana, but it was all they had right now. And since they were just traveling, they didn't have many weapons with them.

They walked up to the front door. Zana wondered why they were doing this in broad daylight, but they didn't have much time. Yasmine kicked the door, once, twice, thrice. The door crashed in. They walked in slowly, Zai and Zana behind their mother. The house was dark. They advanced cautiously through the entryway. Suddenly, light flooded the room.

"Hello, dears!" a voice rang out. Isabel was looking at them on a large, flat-screen T.V on the other side of the room."So glad you could make it!"

Zana jumped back. Isabel was smiling that mega-creepy smile of hers, the smile that usually came before someone died messily.

"Where's my brother?" she demanded, stepping forward.

"Ah yes, the pushy, rude little whelp." Isabel clicked her tongue. "But congratulations to you, Neha, for finding me. I see that your time with my worthless sister wasn't completely useless."

Yasmine snarled but didn't say anything.

"Hey! Don't talk to my sister like that!" Zai shouted.

"Well, I really must go now." Isabel told them cheerfully.

"Wait!" Zana shouted. "Where's. My. BROTHER?"

Isabel didn't respond, but the screen changed images. Now, it showed Zade, with a bloody gash on his temple, lying unmoving on a dirty cement ground. There were armed guards all around him.

"Is he...dead?" whispered Zai.

"That's up to you. If you can find him, then no, he'll live." Isabel responded, smiling evilly. "But I really must be on my way. I've sent some of my friends to keep you company. Toodles!" The screen went black.

"Mom! What should we do?" Zana turned toward their mother.

"We have to-" Their mother was cut off by a door on the other side of the room barging open, and a group of guards ran in. Zana gaped when she saw them.

"Zana?" one of the people in the group gasped.

"Hey, I recognize you!" Zai exclaimed.

"Kaha... what are you doing here?" Zana whispered. Kaha, the boy she had made friends with on the plane with the brilliant green eyes, was standing in front of her.

"Oh, no." Kaha backed up slowly. "This isn't right! This isn't how it was supposed to happen at all! I didn't know _you _were the girl that I was supposed to fight!" He started looking around nervously.

"Pfft. If you're too chicken, the _I'll _do it!" a familiar voice came from the back of the group. Zai groaned. Elias smirked at him from where he stood, wearing his signature knuckle blades. Zai sighed.

"Well, at least I know the drill." he muttered, charging Elias.

Zana looked at Kaha. He was backing away from everyone, looking panic-stricken. Zana rushed toward him.

"Listen. I need you to tell me why you're here, and where my brother is." she threatened him. He looked at her, fear etched all over his face.

"Zana, honestly, I didn't know you would be here. I-I thought it would be someone else, I had no idea he was your brother. I was supposed to fight you, but...I can't" Kaha said. Zana looked into his eyes.

"Alright, I trust you," she hissed, "But first, you need to tell me where Zade is." Kaha leaned forward and started whispering in her ear.

Zai dodged a punch thrown at him by Elias. He was about to punch back when he looked over and saw the kid from the airplane, whatever his name was, whispering in Zana's ear. He was about to do a double-take when Elias landed a solid kick on his chest.

"GAH!" he gasped, staggering. Elias smiled cruelly and was about to deliver a finishing blow when someone grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Wha? Let go of me, woman!" He thrashed about wildly. Yasmine, who was holding him, glared at him.

"_This _is what happens when someone messes with my son!" she shouted, hurling Elias to the ground. He groaned collapsed.

"Wow. Good one, Mom!" Zai jumped up. The other three guards that came in were lying motionless on the ground. Just then, Zana and the blond kid from the plane rushed over.

"Whoa! I don't think we can trust him!" Zai cautioned.

"Zai, please!" Zana begged. Wait, was Zana _begging? _She _never _begged. "You have to trust him! He knows where Zade is!"

Zai looked into his sister's eyes. _She really does trust him, _he thought. _Well, I guess I'll have to trust him , too._

"Fine. If Zana says you can be trusted, then I guess I'll have to trust you." Zai decided quickly.

Relief flooded Kaha's eyes. "Follow me! Hurry!" He grabbed Zana's arm and pulled her out of the room and down a hall, with Zai and Yasmine running after them.

"Oh, no. You're not getting away on my watch!" the heard a voice from the inside the room. Zai whirled around. Elias was getting to his feet, and he looked ready to give chase.

"Faster! Elias is behind us!" he yelled to his fellow runners. They ran faster, Elias charging down the hall behind them. The hall ended, and there was s spiraling staircase leading down.

"Down!" yelled Kaha, bounding down the stairs. Elias was about eight feet behind them now. The frantically started climbing down the stairs. The walls became cold and gray, and it smelled of wet concrete.

"How long is this staircase?" Zana exclaimed as they went further and further down.

"At least five stories down!" Kaha yelled back. "We're almost there!" He was right. After a few more seconds, they reached the end of the staircase. They could hear Elias rushing down after them.

"This way!" Kaha instructed them, leading them down a long, cold, wet hallway, which was lined with empty cells. They just reached a point where the hall branched in two when they heard pounding footsteps approaching from in front of them. And with Elias behind them, they were trapped.

"You've got to get Zade. You go on alone!" Kaha yelled.

"But, Kaha, if they find you-" Zana started worridly.

"Please, go!" pleaded Kaha. He looked wildly around. "This is your only chance to save your brother. I'll be alright!"

"No, Kaha, we can't just leave you." Zana told him.

"Just go!" yelled Kaha. He looked at Zana and pressed something into her hand. "I'll be fine."

"Come on, Zana!" Zai grabbed her arm and dragged her down the hall after their mother. Zana looked back at Kaha one more time, then started running. At the very end of the hall, there was one more cell, and next to that was another winding staircase. Zana peered into the cell. Her brother was lying on the ground. At first, a horrible thought flashed through her mind, but then she saw the shallow rise and fall of his chest.

"He's alive." she whispered. She opened her hand. In it was a small slide, with a fingerprint stamped on it, which Kaha had given her. She held it up to a small fingerprint scanner mounted on the door. It pulsated green.

_Welcome, Agent. Prisoner Number 5441, Holding Cell 48._

The door slid open. Yasmine rushed in and knelt down next to Zade.

"Zade?" she whispered. He didn't respond. Yasmine slipped her arms around her son's shoulders.

"Help me carry him." she told Zai and Zana. They lifted his feet, and together they carried him up the stairs. Zana tried to concentrate on her brother, but her mind kept drifting back to Kaha.

_I hope he's alright, _she thought. She couldn't get his face out of her mind. She tripped on a step, and Zade's head banged against the wall.

"Owww..." he groaned, opening his eyes.

"Zade? Are you awake?" Yasmine asked.

"Oooh. What happened? Where are we?" he groaned.

"We're in Isabel's mansion in India. What happened to you?" Zai asked, dropping Zade's feet.

"I don't really remember." Zade said slowly, supporting himself on the railing. "I was fighting Elias on the Great Wall, then someone shot me with something, then everything went black."

"I'm so glad you're alright!" exclaimed Zana, throwing her arms around her brother's neck.

"I'm fine." he replied. "Everything just feels...different. Like I'm seeing everything from a different angle."

"We'll get you out of here. We just need to reach the top of these stairs." his mother said. They climbed in silence, Yasmine supporting Zade as they reached the top of the stairs. At the very top was a door with a push bar. Zai opened it, and stepped outside into the yard. Zade shielded his eyes from the sun.

"We've got to get back to Hawaii." Yasmine said suddenly. She and her children crept back through the yard and back into their car. Zade settled into the backseat.

"I'm really proud of you, Zana. You showed a lot of responsibility back there." Yasmine told her daughter.

"Thanks." she replied, staring out the window. She was just hoping Kaha was okay.

_**This is the last chapter of 'The Lost Chronicles' before the finale. Sorry I took so long to update. Stay tuned!**_


	19. Lost Chronicles: Finale

_** Here it is: The finale to 'The Lost Chronicles.' Warning: This might be a little sad. After this chapter I will continue from where I left off before. Enjoy!**_

_December 20th, 2007_

_ Classified location_

Isabel Kabra took a delicate sip of tea.

"What is it you want, Elizabeth?" She snapped. Her sister, sitting across the table, leaned forward.

"Do you thing all out problems have ended, since you've killed that traitor Arthur, and his jackal of a wife?" Elizabeth Kabra asked. Isabel snorted.

"Well, things certainly have been easier for me." she replied. "Why do you care?"

"Because things haven't been going so smoothly on my side, no thanks to you." Elizabeth told her.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Isabel asked irritably.

"I mean, killing Arthur and Hope wasn't the complete solution." Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. "That traitor Neha and her family are causing more problems."

Isabel smirked. "Seems you have a lot of traitors on your side, sister." Elizabeth waved her hand dismissively.

"I know. But didn't your agents also fail on their last mission?" she asked.

"Yes, unfortunately, my agents have failed to finish off those pigs so far." Isabel grumbled.

"And your last attempt with the serum was also a failure, I presume." Elizabeth sneered.

"Of course not." Isabel replied hotly. "I managed to inject the serum into the prisoner, just like I said I would."

"Very well." Elizabeth decided. " Then I will take over the operation from here."

"Just remember," Isabel warned, "The boy with the serum is valuable. Kill everyone else, but take him hostage."

"Fine." Elizabeth stood up. "I believe we've met an agreement?"

"Absolutely." replied Isabel. "However, there is one agent I would like to recommend..."

After her meeting with Elizabeth, Isabel walked outside.

"How did it go?" asked Elias, who was waiting for her out side the meeting room.

"It went splendidly. My sister is going to lead the next mission to eradicate those traitor fools once and for all."

_Eradicate them? _thought Elias nervously. Sure, he liked a good victory over Zai, the annoying pest who insisted in hindering him, but he wasn't sure he wanted to _eradicate _him. But he didn't dare say anything out loud.

"When?" he asked instead.

"In two days." Isabel replied. "And..." she looked at Elias, "I managed to recommend you for the mission."

"Me?" Elias yelped.

"Just look at it as a chance to redeem yourself." Isabel told briskly, as they got into her limo.

_Gulp, _thought Elias.

_December 22__nd__, 2007_

_ Kauai, Hawaiian Islands_

Eleven-year-old Zai Kului was walking by the beach under the full moon. He was trying to calm himself down. He listened to the soothing sound of the waves crashing against the rocks, and the sound of birds calling to each other. He closed his eyes and breathed in the salty ocean air. He looked up at the sky. Dark clouds were gathering. A storm was on its way. He sat down in front of the water. There was nobody around. He had been walking for about ten minutes now, just walking and thinking.

He looked over the ocean and sighed. How could things have become so different? A few years ago, he, his twin sister Zana, their older brother Zade, and their mother Yasmine were a happy family. Weird, but still happy. Zade was nice enough most of the time, and Zai and Zana usually got along. But now, things seemed to be breaking up. Zade had become sort of moody and withdrawn, sometimes lashing out at people. Zai suspected his behavior change had something to do with what happened a year ago, when Zade had been captured by the viscous Kabras. Zana also had also started spending more time alone. Zai was sure that she was unhappy with their..._unusual_ lifestyle, and wanted a normal, _non-Cahill _life. But Zai knew that was not possible. It their world, they would probably never be normal. And their mother, Yasmine, seemed very tired and sad recently. This was making Zai depressed.

The fact that Zade was supposed to start college soon didn't help. He would've gone earlier, but some problems with other Cahills had held him back. He would be attending the University of Hawaii-West Oahu, so his family would be close if any problems arose. Zai would be a little sad to see him go. Most of his life, Zana, and Zade were his only friends. Because of his difficult lifestyle, Zai really never got the chance to make friends. Sometimes he told himself that when he grew up, he'd leave the Cahill world behind and try to blend in, but he knew that could never happen. Being born into the Cahill legacy was a gift, but it was also a curse. He would be cursed to serve the 39 Clues for the rest of his life.

Zai sighed again. He had to decide what to do. Maybe he could talk to Zana. He shook his head. He wasn't a fan of the whole emotional, heart-to-heart talk thing. He was just thinking that maybe they could use a vacation when he heard a loud flapping overhead. He looked up, and there, up in the sky, was the largest flock of birds he had ever seen. He couldn't tell what kind of bird they were because they were so high up. They were several hundred of them, squawking like crazy. But they were not flying in formation. _In fact, _thought Zai, _They look like they're trying to get away from something!_

Zai was just thinking how weird this situation was when he heard footsteps crashing over the sand toward him. He jumped up and turned around, and stiffened as the person reached him, panting. He had really short dark hair, sunglasses, and the Lucian insignia on his shoulder.

"What could you _possibly _want with me?" he asked. "And why are you wearing sunglasses at night?" He had always thought that their home on the island would be safe, that nobody could find them there. Apparently, he was wrong. He also wondered why someone would wear sunglasses at 8:30 at night.

"Wait..." Elias panted, holding up his hands. He ignored Zai's question about his sunglasses. Zai took a step back. Elias didn't move.

"What do you want?" Zai asked again.

"Your f-family's in great...danger." Elias panted. Zai tensed.

"What do you mean, danger?" he asked.

"Elizabeth...she's here." Elias said, his breathing returning to normal.

_Elizabeth? HERE? _Zai's eyes flashed with fear. If she could, Elizabeth would kill them all.

"I'll try to hold them off!" Elias shouted, running into the jungle.

Without waiting, or wondering if Elias was telling the truth or leading him into a trap, Zai started running toward his house. His adrenaline completely took over, he wasn't even thinking straight. All he knew was that his family was very much in grave danger, and he was the only one that could save them.

He ran like crazy, down the beach and over a large hill that was near their home. When he reached the top of the hill, he saw smoke rising from a few hundred meters away.

_Oh god, I'm too late!_ Zai raced down the hill, crashing through the small bushes that dotted the landscape.

He reached his house. It was completely ablaze. He ran around it. Just then, _KA-BOOOOOOOOM! _A gigantic explosion rang out behind him. He ran around to to the other side of his house to see half of it collapse.

"Mom! Zade! Zana! Are you in there?" he called out. No answer. He ran over back to the other side. One of the walls had fallen in on the rest of the house, and Zai could hear muffled voices from inside.

"I'll ask you one more time: Where is he?" a gruff voice demanded.

"Who, my brother? I'll never tell _you!_" That was Zade.

"Kid, you're gonna tell us where your brother is. Otherwise, we'll have to kill you." Another muffled voice said.

"_Never._" Zade retorted. Zai could hear the sounds of fighting from inside, and the screams weren't Zade's.

_He seems okay for the moment. I have to find Mom and Zana, _he thought. He heard another, smaller explosion behind him. Then, a scream. A scream that Zai would recognize anywhere.

"Zana!" he screamed into the dark.

"Zai! Help!" his sister yelled back. Zai ran to the far side of the house. The wall here had been completely obliterated. It was just a pile of rubble. And at the bottom of the pile, he saw a lot of long, black hair.

"...Zana?" he whispered. His sister looked up.

"Help me." she moaned. Zai looked at her. Her legs were completely buried in rubble, and she was struggling to free herself.

"Don't move, I'll get you out. Then we'll go help Mom and Zade." he told her, frantically moving large pieces of rock and concrete off of the pile.

"Where's Zade?" Zana asked.

"Zade's on the other side of the house." replied Zai, tugging on a huge chunk of concrete.

"Zade?" Zana gasped painfully. "Oh, no. Zai, you've got to help him. He's the one they're here to get!"

"No!" Zai grunted, heaving. "I heard them! They were asking Zade 'where his brother is'!"

"Oh my god!" Zana exclaimed as one of her legs came free. "Zade _lied _to them! He's trying to save you! He's the one they want!"

"...No" whispered Zai. "So...they're going to _kill _Zade?"

"Go." Zana told him. "You have to save him."

"What about you?" Zai asked.

"I'm almost free. I'll be fine." she answered. "Here." she took his hand and pressed something into it. "Now go save Zade."

Zai nodded. "I'll be back." he promised. With that, he turned and ran toward where Zade was trapped.

As he ran through the dark, big, chubby drops of water started splashing down. Zai looked up. Lightning flashed across the sky. He ran blindly through the dark, his hair blowing into his eyes. He could see his mother running about twenty feet in front of him.

"Mom!" he called out to her. She didn't reply.

"MOM!" he yelled again. Still nothing. His mother disappeared around the corner to where Zade was.

_I can't be too late. I have to help Mom save Zade. I can't be too late. I have to help Mom save Zade, _he repeated over and over again in his mind. Then, someone grabbed him on the shoulder. Zai spun around. He couldn't tell who it was in the dark. Then, lightning flashed again. For a split second, Zai could make out who it was. He had wet, tangled blond hair, thrown around in the wind, and intense green eyes.

"Kaha!" Zai exclaimed over a rumble of thunder. He didn't stop to think why on earth Kaha would be here. "Help me! You have to help! Zana needs you!"

"Zana! Where is she?" Kaha asked, on the verge of panic.

"On the far side of the house!" Zai panted, "Help her! I'll help Zade!"

"Okay!" Kaha yelled, not asking any more questions. His hair blowing wildly around in the wind, he ran off toward where Zana was trapped. Zai kept running. He reached the wall that Zade was trapped behind.

"Zade! ZADE! MOM!" he screamed, pounding on the wall. "Answer me!" he yelled again. He heard nothing. Suddenly, he heard a rumbling from behind the wall. He put his ear to it. Then..._BOOOOOOOM! _Zai was thrown into the air from the force of the blast.

"AAAAAHHH!" He yelled, crashing into the ground. He landed on a sharp rock, cutting into his chest. After a few seconds, he stood up. The wall was gone. In it's place was a mountain of debris and rubble. He walked slowly up to it.

"Zade? Mom? Are you there?" he said softly. "Zade? Mom? Somebody? Please answer me!" he begged. He pulled away a large piece of plaster. He started trembling uncontrollably when he was what was underneath it. A large pool of blood.

"NOOOOOO! ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAADE! MOOOOOOOOM! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed, stumbling backward. Tears blacken with ash were flowing freely down his cheeks. He looked around. Suddenly, a dark shape darted out of the jungle and ran toward he had last seen Zana.

"ZAAAANNNAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" he screamed again, running after the dark shape. His vision blurred, and he started stumbling. But he didn't stop running. He had to save Zana, because he failed to save Zade and his mother. He saw the dark shape get closer and closer to his sister. He couldn't see her face, but he could see her moving violently under the rubble. Kaha was pulling on her arm. They were unaware of the danger that crept closer to them.

"ZAAAAAAAANAAAAAAA!" he screamed one more time. The dark figure was upon the. Zai ran harder.

_BALAM! BLAM!_ To cracks rang out, followed by two screams. Zai stumbled. Blood was pounding in his ears, and everything looked fuzzy. He fell to his knees.

"NOOO! NOOOOO! NOOOOOOOOOO!NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. He was jerking and sobbing uncontrollably. He tried to get up again, but he fell. He opened his eyes one more time. He thought he could see Zana's, Zade's, his mother's, and Kaha's faces floating up into the clouds. They were all smiling sadly at him. He was the only one left now.

"...Zai." voice said in his head. "It's okay. You tried." He didn't even see a man dressed all in black run out of the jungle, nor did he feel the man pick him up.

"You're safe now." the man told him gently. Zai didn't hear him. The whole time, Zai's fist had been clamped shut around what his sister had given him. Zai closed his eyes and passed out. He and Zana weren't 'the twins' anymore. An empty spot had opened up in his heart.

An empty spot that he still carries with him today.

_** Hey readers. I'm SO SO SO sorry about this chapter. I wish there was another way. *Sniffle.* Read and comment, and stay strong.**_


	20. Brother Recovered

_**Hey. I hoped you liked the 'Lost Chronicles'. I also hope it gave you some idea of what happened, and what will happen in the future. Enjoy!**_

_(Previously in _New Friends, New Trials..._)_

Amy looked down and gasped. There was Dan, unconscious, and soaked in blood.

_Hong Kong._

Nellie put her finger on Dan's wrist.

"He has a pulse. It's weak, though!" she yelled. Amy felt like she could die from relief. But that wouldn't do any good. Alana was calling an ambulance. Amy looked at Dan, lying on the street. Blood was soaked into his shirt, but at least there were no visible injuries on his head.

"W-where's Uncle Fiske?" Amy stuttered. There was almost nothing left of the Hummer. Alana peered into the window.

"It was a trap. Your uncle's not in there." she said grimly.

"We have to find him!" Amy said, panic rising in her voice.

"We will, but Dan's out top priority now." Nellie said, trying to stay calm. Amy nodded, focusing on the task at hand.

"Where's all the blood coming from?" she asked in a scared voice. Nellie gingerly lifted Dan's shirt up an inch, showing a huge, bloody gash across his lower stomach. She tore off one of her sleeves and pressed the fabric against the wound.

"He needs CPR." said Nellie, noticing his extremely shallow, ragged breathing. Zai was staring at Dan._ Blond hair...green eyes...blood..._ suddenly, Zai was back in his old home in Hawaii. Kaha was running off to save his sister. Two shots...screaming...he had blond hair and green eyes, just like Dan...there was blood...so much blood...

_I can't let Dan die, like everyone else died. I failed then, I won't fail now. I can't!_

Blood started pounding through his ears. His vision became fuzzy again. He stumbled.

"Are you okay?" Amy asked fearfully.

"I'm fine." he snapped. He took a couple deep breaths.

"Let me handle Dan." he spoke up. "I know CPR."

"So do I." piped up Amy. CPR was another of the many skills she had learned in the past year.

"Dudes, no way." Nellie stepped in front of them. "I'll handle this."

"No,-" Zai started to object, but then he started to think. _Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation? Maybe not... _

"Better you than me." he said quickly. Nellie nodded, then leaned over Dan. First, she made sure nothing was stuck in his throat. Then, she put her lips to his and forced air into his lungs. Finally, she pumped lightly on his chest. After about thirty seconds, Dan coughed and opened his eyes.

"Dan!" Amy sniffed. She was still crying a little.

"...What...where am I?" asked Dan. He started coughing, and his face twisted up in pain.

"Don't talk," Zai told him. "An ambulance is on the way." Dan coughed again, then closed his eyes. Just then, they heard sirens approaching. All traffic had been blocked off to make way.

"Over here!" yelled Alana, trying to signal the ambulances. There were two of them. They turned onto the bridge and pulled up beside the wrecked Hummer, sirens blaring. The doors opened, and two paramedics rushed out.

"There he is." Elias pointed to Dan. But instead of trying to help, one of the paramedics slowly reached into his scrub and began to pull something out.

_Wait a minute..._thought Nellie. The paramedic was pulling something out of his scrub.

"GET DOWN!" she yelled. Amy and Alana dived behind their car, while Nellie and Zai crouched next to Dan in the wreckage of Elizabeth's wrecked Hummer. Elias slipped behind a support beam, occasionally popping out and opening fire with his trusty Beretta.

"What's happening?" screamed Amy.

"Those paramedics must be Vespers, too!" Alana replied.

_That's really low, _thought Amy. Just then, she spotted the other fake paramedic pulling out a syringe and start walking toward Dan.

"Zai! Nellie! LOOK OUT!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Nellie and Zai leaped up. Zai confronted the fake paramedic. She was wearing huge sunglasses, a very high collar, and gloves. Zai couldn't really make out her facial features.

"Why can't you people just leave us alone?" asked Zai, attempting to snatch the syringe from the Vesper's hand. She didn't answer, and lashed forward to stab Zai on the shoulder with it. Zai grabbed her wrist and yanked, trying to throw her off balance. As he grabbed her wrist, her glove got shoved a few inched down her hand. he noticed an long, jagged scar down her wrist.

"Hey! You're the one from back in the hotel!" Zai shouted. The woman grunted, and yanked her hand free. Zai shot a quick glance Nellie.

"Nellie! You've got to get Dan out of here!" he yelled. "Elias! Cover Nellie as she carries Dan to the car!"

"I'm on it!" yelled Elias. Nellie carefully picked up Dan, and half carried him, half dragged him toward the car.

"Go with Nellie!" Amy told Alana, as they watched from their hiding place. "You can get out of here, since you know your way around!"

Alana nodded. "On the count of three, run as fast as you can toward Zai. Elias should keep them busy."

"Got it." Amy said. She was breathing hard.

Alana took a deep breath. "One...two...THREE!" Alana bolted around the car and jumped in. Amy leaped up and sprinted across the street to where Zai was fighting a woman with a syringe. She watched as Nellie drove the Hummer down the street and around a corner. She was just about to yell something to Zai when she heard another siren in the distance.

"Zai!" she yelled. He looked back at her for a second.

"What?" he asked, dodging a punch from his opponent.

"We've got to get out of here! There are more of them coming!" The sirens were close now.

"Nngh!" Zai grunted as the woman kicked him in the stomach. "Tell Elias! We need to retreat!"

Amy nodded, and looked over at Elias. He was ducking behind a beam, shooting and dodging shots.

"ELIAS!" she screamed. "WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE, NOW!"

Elias shouted something back, but Amy couldn't hear him. She was just about to shout again when three more ambulance-disguised Vesper vehicles pulled up, Vespers pouring out of them.

"Look!" Amy screamed again. Zai broke away from his fight and ran toward the edge of the bridge. Amy was right behind him as the Vespers slowly surrounded them. Amy's heart was thudding so loudly she was sure that Zai could hear it. Elias had also retreated, and was backed up against the edge of the bridge.

_Now, we're _REALLY _going to die, _thought Amy. She looked at Zai.

"Zai, it was a pleasure meeting you-" she began. Zai interrupted her.

"Shhh! Wait." he whispered. "Hear that?" Amy strained her ears. She could hear the sound of an engine, but it wasn't a car engine. She peered over the edge of the bridge. Suddenly, a black speedboat zoomed out from under the bridge, and stopped directly beneath them.

"JUMP!" someone yelled to them from the speedboat. It was about fifteen feet down into the water.

"Why haven't they shot at us yet?" she whispered to Zai.

"They must need us alive." he whispered back.

"Should we jump? It might be a trap." she fretted.

"Well, either that, or we stay up here and get captured." He looked over at Elias.

"Jump!" he yelled to him. Elias nodded, his eyes invisible behind his shades. Zai grabbed Amy's arm and hurled himself over the edge.

"_AAAAAAA!_" They screamed, the water rushing up to meet them. Zai gasped. It was surprisingly cold.

_We've sure done a lot of falling tonight,_ he thought. He and Amy swam up to the speedboat. He heard a splash. He looked back to see Elias stroking toward them. Zai, Amy, and Elias clambered onto the boat, just as the Vespers on the bridge opened fire. The driver, who was clad in black and wearing a mask, sped off, zigzagging across the water to avoid being hit.

"Who are you?" Amy asked fearfully. The driver turned around and slowly pulled off his mask. Amy gasped when she saw him.

"Hello, Amy." Ian smiled.

_**That wasn't so fun to write, since I was getting back to the current chapters. The new ones will be better than this, I promise. Also, I want thirty-six reviews on this chapter before I post a new one. So start reviewing!**_


	21. Boats and Pimped Out Jets

_** I said I would only write the next chapter once I had thirty-six reviews, and I did! Yay! You guys are great! And thanks Favmovie, your comment made me so happy! :):):)**_

"Hello, Amy." Ian lowered his mask, smiling.

"Ian!" Amy exclaimed. "How did you find us?"

"Not that a reunion wouldn't be _fabulous, _but can we focus on getting away?" Zai cut in sarcastically. He really didn't want to talk to Ian, based on their past encounters. He pointed to the bridge where the Vespers were shooting at them from. "People are shooting at us, you know!"

Ian nodded, and sped up. Zai, Amy, and Elias crouched on the floor of the boat. Zai peeked up. The bridge was fading into the distance now, silhouetted against the rising sun. They were out of range of the Vespers now.

"I think we're safe." He said. Everyone rose from their crouched positions.

"Whew, that was close." Amy breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, Elias tensed.

"I don't think we're done yet. Listen!" he hissed. Everyone strained their ears. In the distance, they could hear the sound of several speedboat engines, approaching fast. Amy groaned.

"Everyone, take cover! It think-CRRACK!" Ian was cut off by a burst of shots that whizzed by his head and into the water. Zai looked behind them. Three sleek, black speedboats with the usual big, red 'V' painted on their sides were in formation behind them, and each one had four or five agents in them. Zai squinted at the one in the lead. The woman who he had fought on the bridge and before in the hotel was standing in the front, with a machine gun in her arms.

"EVERYBODY, DOWN!' yelled Zai at the top of his lungs. Everyone hit the floor as bullets shot over the top of the boat. After a few seconds, they stopped.

"She's reloading." said Elias. "Quick! Start the boat!"

Ian gunned the motor to life, and started swerving across the water as more bullets sprayed around them. Just then, one round hit the back of the boat, and thick, black smoke started coming out of the engine.

"Out of the way! I'm driving!" Elias shoved Ian away from the driver's seat. Ian took cover beside Zai.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish Nellie was here to drive." Zai muttered.

Zai instantly regretted saying that: Elias' steering on the water was just as bad as Nellie's was on land.

"_WOOOOO-HOOOOOO!" _Elias yelled in delight as he pushed the boat to it's limits. And, Zai noticed, he was still wearing sunglasses.

Zai looked over at his companions. Ian's face was the color of pickles, and Amy looked like she had just swallowed a clump of manure.

_Good thing I haven't eaten anything in the last twelve hours, _he thought.

'_BLAM! BLAM!' _Suddenly, two bullets hit the engine of Ian's boat.

_ 'BBBBRRRROOOOAAAGHHAH!" _The engine started hacking and coughing. More smoke started billowing out of it. Zai noticed that they were losing speed.

"WE'RE LOSING POWER!" He screamed to Elias and Ian. Elias turned his head.

"I THINK I CAN SHAKE THEM!" He yelled back. Ian thought quickly.

"AMY, TAKE THE WHEEL!" He yelled in her ear. She still looked panic-stricken.

"AMY! DID YOU HEAR HIM?" Zai yelled again. Amy gave a barely perceptible nod.

"Right, the wheel. Got it!" she replied, some strength returning to her eyes.

"Elias!" Ian shouted. "Do you have your pistol?"

"You bet!" Elias grinned, whipping out his shiny Beretta. Amy grabbed the wheel. Zai had heard stories about how Amy and Dan had navigated throughout the canals in Venice, so he wasn't so worried, in a matter of perspective.

"ELIAS!" Zai screamed. "TAKE OUT THE LEAD SPEEDBOAT!"

"MY PLEASURE!" Elias yelled. He took careful aim, then fired three shots. One hit the driver on the hand. Elias saw him scream and let go of the wheel, causing the boat to jerk sharply to the right. The other boat tried to get out of the way, but there wasn't enough room to maneuver a turn. The Vesper from the hotel bailed out of the boat. The first boat bashed into the second. The third boat was on a collision course with the other two.

_'CRRrrrRRGHHAHTHGGGHH!" _Metal wrenched as the three boats smashed together, and a small fire erupted.

"Elias! You did it!' Zai cheered. Then,

_'BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!' _

The fire reached the fuel tank, causing the whole boat to explode.

"AWESOME" Elias shouted at the top of his voice. Zai looked up. Large, burning pieces of the boat were being thrown into the air. Then, the engine on Ian's boat cut completely.

"EVERYBODY OFF THE BOAT!" Amy screamed. Then...

_ 'BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!' _

The second boat blew up, throwing more debris into the air. Zai didn't for the third explosion. He took a deep breath and dove off the side of the boat into the cold water. He kicked deeper and deeper, trying to get out of range of the burning debris.

_'Brrgghghgrrlrmmmmmm!" _the third boat exploded, the sound muffled by the water. Large chunks of metal and fiberglass rained through the water next to Zai. His air supply was running out. He kicked up to the surface, gasping in big lungfuls of air.

"Amy! Elias! Ian! Are you guys okay?" he called. Slowly, Ian, Elias, and Amy bobbed to the surface. This is what Zai heard:

Amy: "OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD!"

Elias: "THAT WAS AWESOME!"

Ian: "AAAAH! MY CUSTOM-MADE, TEN THOUSAND POUND ARMANI SHIRT! AND MY HAND-CRAFTED LEATHER ITALIAN SHOES! LIFE ISN'T FAAAAIIIIRRRRR!"

Zai rolled his eyes. They'd live.

"Come on, lets get out of the water!" he called to them. This seemed to be a pretty empty place, so there was almost zero traffic, on land or water. He spotted a dock a about twenty feet away. He started swimming toward it, and the others followed.

"Ugh. I'm soaked." Zai shook his head, tossing his wet hair off his forehead. Ian was pulling himself out of the water, grumbling about his wet clothes. Amy was standing a little ways from the edge, shivering. Elias was trying to adjust his glasses, which had a crack in one of the lenses.

"W-w-what do we do now?" Amy asked, shivering.

"We call for help." Elias replied. He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked kind of like a cell phone. It was all black, with a red light on the side and a small yellow button under it.

"Something I liberated from the Ekats." he said. He pushed the yellow button. The small light blinked on, and the whole thing vibrated.

"What does it do?" asked Amy.

"You'll see." he replied.

Zai stood on the edge of the water. He absolutely loved water. He imagined it cascading on top of a blazing inferno, extinguishing it, bringing coolness to the scorching heat of the flames . He slipped his hands into his pockets. Wait...

Zai reached into his pockets again. It wasn't there! He looked around. It was nowhere to be seen! Now, Zai started panicking. He dropped to his hands and knees and started looking around the ground.

"What are you doing?" Amy asked. Zai ignored her.

_ No! I HAVE to find it. I have to!_ He looked at the water. Then, something shiny and green caught his eye. He he squinted. There it was! Floating, about fifteen feet out into the water. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a whirring sound. He looked up. A sleek black helicopter was hovering above them. It had a big, fancy 'K' on the side. The pilot was gesturing wildly. Zai looked at the water again. He could see it, drifting farther and farther. Without a second thought, he leaped into the water to retrieve it.

"Where are you going?" screamed Amy. Zai didn't stop, he kept swimming. He reached out and grabbed the shiny green object. He squeezed it tightly in his hand, feeling the smooth green stone. He turned and started swimming toward shore. The helicopter had landed, and everyone was climbing inside. He reached the shore and ran toward the helicopter. He jumped in, and shut the door. The pilot flipped a few switches, and the rotor blades started turning. The helicopter lifted into the air.

"What the heck was that all about?" Elias asked. Zai turned away.

"I just needed to grab something out of the water." he said quietly.

"What?" Elias replied.

"Can we...not talk about this?" Zai asked. He looked at Ian. "Where are we going?" he asked.

"We're going to my house in London." Ian answered. "First, we're flying to an airstrip just outside the city where we will take my private jet."

"What about Dan and Nellie?" asked Amy.

"I've called Alana and told her. Nellie and Dan should be waiting for us in London." Ian reassured her.

"And how did you find us?" Zai inquired. He felt more uncomfortable, knowing that the leader of the Lucian branch could track him down like this.

"Well, I'd be a rather bad branch leader if I couldn't even keep track of my own agents, now, wouldn't I?" Ian said, nodding to Elias.

"One more question." Elias spoke up. "Will we be safe from the Vespers?"

"It's very unlikely that the Vespers will attack before we get to my jet." Ian said. "But once we're in my plane, we'll be safe. It's almost indestructible."

Zai, Elias, and Amy sat back, satisfied with Ian's answers. Zai reached into his pocked. The shiny green stone was still there. He became lost in thought, as he did often. Just then, he felt a familiar splitting feeling in his head. Wincing with pain, he popped open the pill bottle that was fastened to his waist and gulped down a white pill.

_About ten minutes later..._

"Passengers, prepare for landing." Ian's pilot spoke up, and the helicopter started descending. Zai looked out the window. They were above a small airstrip, surrounded by hills. A streamline black jet was sitting on the ground. The helicopter touched down. The pilot switched off the engine and and Ian opened the door.

"Ladies first." he said, bowing slightly to Amy, who glared at him. Ian shrugged and stepped out, followed by Amy, Zai, then Elias. The helicopter pilot waved once, and took off.

Ian, Zai, Elias, and Amy walked up to the jet. A set of steps led up to it. Ian walked up and opened the door, then climbed in. As Zai entered the plane, he noticed it was nothing like a normal jet. There were no seats lined up in neat rows. It had about ten plush-looking seats, each with it's own flat-screen TV in front of it.

"I wish Nellie was here. She would've loved this!" Amy exclaimed. Elias smirked.

"Get used to it. This is how we Lucians do things!"

Zai took a seat next to a window, across from Amy. Elias sat in front of him, and Ian was in front of Amy. Ian tapped a button on his arm rest.

"Sean, we're ready for departure."

"Roger." came the answer. A few seconds later, the engines started up, and the plane started rolling down the runway. Zai flicked his TV on. The time read six-thirty A.M. Zai sat back. He was exhausted. About twenty minutes later, he was asleep.

_8 hours later..._

Zai opened his eyes and stretched. The lights in the plane were dimmed. Still a few more hours until they reached London. He shook his head, clearing his mind. He'd dreamed of his home back in Kauai, and his family. He flicked on his TV and watched a movie to take his mind off his dream.

"Can't sleep?" a voice asked. Zai looked across the aisle. Amy was sitting up, a book on her lap.

"No, I'm fine." Zai replied. "How about you?"

"I'm fine." she replied. She looked at Zai. "How come you never seem sad or happy or angry of scared?" she asked him. "You always seem just kind of quiet and distant."

"I am not!" he retorted. Before Amy could say anything, Zai turned away.

"Could we continue this some other time?" he asked quietly. Amy didn't respond. Zai closed his eyes and tried in vain to fall asleep.

"Zai? Zai! Are you awake?" a voice called. Zai opened his eyes. The lights in the plane were bright again, and it was dark outside.

"Yeah, I'm awake." he replied. Elias was polishing his pistol, Amy was reading, and Ian was talking on his phone. Zai looked out the window. They were over London, it's thousands of bright lights lighting up the ground.

"How long until we land?" he asked.

"About ten minutes." Ian replied, hanging up his phone.

"Welcome to the Kabra Estate!" Ian gestured grandly toward his mansion. He, Zai, Elias, and Amy had just gotten out of the plane and walked along a long, winding path to the house, bathed in moonlight.

"Are Dan and Nellie in there?" Amy asked.

"They should be. Let's go in." Ian replied. They walked up to the house. They stepped up to the huge front doors, which instantly swung open. A man wearing a tuxedo was holding it open for them.

"Welcome home, sir." he said. Ian nodded and handed him his jacket. The butler turned and walked away.

"Where are Nellie and Dan?" Amy asked again. She sounded impatient.

"Let me call Natalie." Ian replied. He took his cell phone out again and speed-dialed his sister.

"Hello, Natalie? We're home...yes...no, you can't fly to Milan tomorrow, we might need the jet...yes, we can think about getting another one for you...no, I don't think I can buy it tonight...are Nellie and Dan here?...okay, where are they?...yes, Natalie, I'm sure neither of them have rabies...yes, even their demented nanny...okay. Bye." Ian looked up at them.

"They're in the red guest room." he said. "Follow me." Ian led them up a step of sweeping, winding steps to a long, extra wide hallway. He walked down the hallway and stopped at the third door on the left. He knocked.

"Come in!" Nellie's voice called. Amy threw open the door and rushed in, throwing her arms around Nellie, who was sitting in a chair in front of a mirror.

"Nellie! I'm so glad to see you! How's Dan doing?" she asked.

"I'm fine." a voice said. Amy pulled away from Nellie. In the corner of the room was an enormous red and orange bed, with about two hundred pillows. Dan was lying in the middle of it, which made him look even smaller. Amy ran over to him.

"Oh, Dan. I thought you were dead." she said, sniffling. Dan sat up.

"It wasn't that bad." he said. "At least I got the chance to tell Elizabeth that she was a 'foul lump of deformity, pigeon-livered and lacking gall.'. I also told her that she looked like a gnome with rabies. That was awesome!" Dan grinned. "Except that she gagged me after that." he said, his grin fading. Zai rolled his eyes. Amy's brother Dan was the only one in the world who could say being captured by the Vespers 'wasn't so bad.'

Just then, Natalie walked into the room.

"Hello, people." she said snootily. Zai held his breath. A few years ago in Japan, Natalie had saved him from Elias, back when they weren't on the same side. Natalie peered at Zai.

"Do I know you?" she asked. Ian nudged her in the ribs.

"Yeah. Remember? A few years ago? Japan? I was there." he said. Recognition dawned in Natalie's eyes.

"Ah, yes, I remember." she said waving her hand dismissively, as if she were trying to hide something. Zai squinted at her face. Was that...embarrassment?

"Well, you must all be tired." Ian broke the silence. "Zai, you can take the room next to his one. Amy, you can take the room directly across the hall, and Nellie, you can sleep in the room across from Zai's." Everyone nodded.

"Well, then Natalie and I will retire for the night. Good night." Ian said, and he and Natalie walked away.

"We need to come up with a plan now." Nellie said once Ian and Natalie had gone.

"What do you think, Dan?" Amy asked. "You were the one she captured."

"Well," Dan began, " I think Elizabeth want's something with the serum. She kept mentioning you, Zai." he said, looking at Zai.

"I don't think Elizabeth's doing this alone." began Elias.

"Can we trust him?" Dan butted in, looking at Elias. "He's a Lucian."

"Of course we can trust him." Zai said.

"No, we can't trust any Lucians except Ian and Natalie." Dan said.

"Dan, stop it!" Amy told her brother. "We wouldn't bring someone here that we couldn't trust."

"But Elias used to follow orders from Isabel!" Dan said. "Elizabeth said so!"

"Ian and Natalie followed orders from their mother, too!" Zai said, his voice edged with annoyance.

"But they changed! They were in the gauntlet with us!" Dan argued. Elias started looking very angry.

"Dan, calm down! You can't be suspicious of everyone who used to work for Isabel!" Zai exclaimed.

"You wouldn't understand!" Dan shouted. "Isabel killed my parents!"

"Dan, that's not the point right now!" Zai shouted back.

"Shut up!" Dan yelled. "You don't know what it's like to have to deal with someone like Isabel! And, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO HAVE YOUR PARENTS TAKEN FROM YOU!" Dan screamed.

"Dan! Stop!" Amy yelled. But it was too late. Dan was already bringing his hand back, about to hit Zai in the face.

_**Hope you liked that one. It was very long, but I felt like I couldn't put it in two separate chapters. Thanks!**_


	22. Shopping and a Ball

_** Hey. I was wondering: Should I finish this adventure all in one story? Or should I break it up into two stories. Because if I keep doing this as one story, It might end up being forty chapters long. Hope you like it!**_

"Dan, stop it!" Amy yelled. But it was too late. Dan was already bringing his hand back to hit Zai in the face.

Zai's eyes flashed. Lightning-fast, his hand shot out and grabbed Dan's wrist, which was mere inches from his nose. Dan's eyes opened wide as Zai's fingers dug into the base of his hand.

"Listen," Zai hissed, his voice as hard as steel. "I don't who you think you are, but I've experienced more pain and suffering than you can ever imagine." He squeezed tighter. Dan's eyes were huge with fear as Zai burned into him with his intense glare. "You don't even know the _meaning_ of the word!" Zai spat.

_Whoa, _ thought Amy. _I've never seen Zai display much of any emotion. I didn't know people could even get this angry! I'd better stop before this get's violent._

"Zai, I think-"

"Stay out of this!" Zai snapped, not looking at her. Dan turned white in terror as Zai's hand squeezed tighter and his eyes narrowed. Dan tensed and closed his eyes. Would Zai hit him? Zai's eyes flashed dangerously. Then, he gave Dan's wrist one final hard squeeze, shoved his hand away, and spun around. He noticed his swords leaning against the wall. He had left them in the Hummer back in Hong Kong, and Nellie was going to give them to him. Zai grabbed them and stormed out, slamming the door loudly behind him.

Dan stood frozen where he was. Elias stood up angrily.

"Elias, wait." Amy began. "Dan didn't mean-" Elias whipped around and glared at her threateningly. Amy shrank back and stopped talking.

"I can't BELIEVE you, Dan!" he shouted. "After all I've helped your sister?" Elias shook his head. "Zai's right. You're messed up." He turned and stalked out the door, slamming it again.

"Dan?" Amy whispered, her voice quivering "What did you do?"

Dan didn't answer. He was just standing there, his feet glued to the ground. Nellie went over to him and shook him gently by the shoulders.

"Dan?" she asked again. This time, Dan seemed to snap out of his daze.

"I'm fine." he said quietly. He turned and climbed into bed. "I just want to be alone."

_An hour later..._

Zai was fuming in his room.

_Who does he think he is? He's lucky I didn't hurt him, _he thought. _Next time, I might not be so gentle. _He flung himself onto his bed. _If he even tries saying something like that to me again, I'll-_

Zai was interrupted in his train of thought by a knocking at the door.

"Come in!" he called. The door swung open and Natalie walked in.

"Hello." she said.

"Hello." Zai replied.

"Hello." Natalie said again.

"Can I...help you?" Zai inquired.

"No, I was just checking to make sure you were settled in fine." Natalie replied, smiling sweetly.

"Oh. Well, I'm doing fine, thank you." he replied, smiling politely.

"Good." Natalie hesitated.

"Is everything okay?" Zai asked.

"Yes, yes, everything's fine. It's just that, my brother didn't mention it to you."

"Mention what?" Zai asked. He was getting impatient.

"Tomorrow night," Natalie began, "Is the Kabra New Year's Ball."

"Annual...Kabra New Year's Ball?" Zai echoed. Natalie nodded.

"Well, I guess there a lot of things I could do tomorrow night during the ball." Zai said.

"Well, that's just the thing." Natalie hesitated again. "Ian wants you and Amy to attend the ball." she said.

"Ian wants Amy and me to attend...a ball?" Zai echoed again. .

"Oh, you don't _have _to." Natalie added quickly. "But Ian said it would nice if you could make it. There's someone he wants you to meet."

"Okay, I guess could try." Zai said slowly. _It's the least I can do, after he saved us, _he thought. Natalie nodded again and walked out.

_That was weird. _Zai mused. _Then again, Natalie's always been weird. _Zai got up and went over to his window. London was out there, calling to him.

Amy was just leaving her room. Just a few minutes ago, Ian had invited her to the Kabra New Years' Ball tomorrow night. If she was going to attend, which she thought she might, she would need to go shopping. Amy hated shopping. She never went shopping in Boston, except for books. Aunt Beatrice had bought all her clothes, without bothering to ask what she wanted. The experience might be fun. She reached into her pocket. She had a small wad of money that Nellie had given her.

_ All I need is a nice dress and some shoes, _she told herself. _I won't spent too much money. _She ran walked down the sweeping staircase to the front door. She stopped. Zai was there, opening up the door.

"Hey. What're you doing here?" she said. Zai whirled around.

"Nothing. What're _you _doing here?" he challenged.

"I-I'm going shopping." she replied. "How about you?"

"What's it look like?" he replied. "I'm going out." With that, he walked out. Amy hurried after him.

Just outside the door, a limousine sat parked. A man in a tuxedo was standing next to it, holding the back door open.

"Sir, Madam, your ride." He said. Zai stepped back warily.

"Ride?" he asked suspiciously.

"Mr. Kabra told me you needed a ride."

"Oh...okay." Amy said hesitantly. She and Zai climbed into the limo. The driver climbed into the front, and started the engine.

"Why are Ian and Natalie being so nice to us?" Amy whispered.

"How should I know?" Zai whispered back. "But we should keep an eye on them, just in case."

"Where to, Sir?" the driver's voice came over a speaker in one of the walls.

"Where is it you we're going?" Zai whispered to Amy.

"Harrods." she replied loudly, so the driver could hear her.

"Harrods? Are you serious?" Zai hissed. Shopping at Harrods was _not _what he wanted to to tonight. "Do you even have any money?"

"Um... a little." Amy admitted. Then she spotted something.

Look." Amy whispered. On the seat next to her was a white envelope. Zai picked it up and opened it. There was a note inside.

_Amy and Zai. I told Drew to take you anywhere in the city you need to go. Enclosed in the envelope are two Visa Gold cards, each with one thousand pounds on it. Enjoy. Ian and Natalie Kabra. _

Zai turned the envelope upside-down. Two credit cards fell out. He handed one to Amy.

"That takes care of the money." he said. Amy nodded, staring at the card in her hand. After riding in silence for about ten minutes, Amy broke the silence.

"Look, Zai, about what happened back with Dan-"

"Drop it." Zai interrupted.

"No, really, Zai. I think Dan-"

"I said drop it!" Zai hissed. "What happened was between Dan and me. It's none of your business, so just butt out and don't mention it." Amy slumped back in her seat, dejected. Neither Dan nor Zai wanted to fix things.

"Sir, Madam, we're here." the driver told them. He got out and opened the door. Amy and Zai climbed out.

"Well, okay, let's go." Amy said.

_'Let's'? _Zai thought. _I don't think so!_

"Actually, Amy." Zai started, "I'm going to look around a bit. I'll catch a cab and meet you back at the Kabras' in, shall we say...two hours?"

"But Zai-"

"Great. Later!" Zai tossed over his shoulder as he ran off. Amy just stood there, staring at him run off. She shook her head. Sometimes, she thought she would never understand boys.

_2 hours later..._

Zai was sitting in a taxi. He smiled to himself. He had gotten a lot of things done that night. First, he had gone to a bank and withdrawn all the money on his credit card, so Ian and Natalie couldn't track where he'd been. He'd bought a few essentials that he'd lost in Hong Kong, in case he ran into any trouble. Finally, he had bought some new clothes. The ones he was wearing were really dirty, and even though Ian and Natalie had provided him with some, he preferred to buy his own. He had also bought a new backpack.

"Okay, we're here." The taxi driver said. Zai looked out the window and the sprawling grounds surrounding the Kabras' mansion.

"Thanks." Zai told him. He handed the driver a few bills.

"Keep the change." he said. He jumped out and walked up to the house. Amy was just going in.

"Hey." she said.

"Hey." he said quickly, running up the stairs to his room. He shut the door and hung his new clothes up in the closet. He looked out the window. The sun was peeking above the horizon. Zai yawned. He was extremely tired. He undressed, then fell into bed.

_14 hours later..._

Amy was getting ready for the ball. She looked at herself in her full-length mirror again.

_I look ridiculous, _she sighed to herself. She was wearing a dark purple knee-length dress, and her reddish-brown was loose, flowing past her face. She didn't dare put makeup on. The thought of stuff smeared on her face disgusted her.

_Well, here goes. _The first guests had already arrived, and Ian wanted some of his guests to meet Amy. Dan was in bed, being looked after by one of the Kabras' private doctors. Amy walked out of her room and down the stairs. There were a lot of people down there, many of them chatting. Amy had no idea who any of them were. She spotted Ian speaking with an older woman in the corner. He was wearing a silk tuxedo. She signaled to him. He nodded slightly, the hurriedly excused himself from his conversation.

"Amy, you look stunning." he breathed. Amy glared at him. He coughed awkwardly and changed the subject. "Um, have you seen Zai?" Ian asked quickly. "He should've been here by now."

"I haven't seen him." Amy told him. "But I can go up to his room and check."

"Thanks." Ian smiled. "I need to get back to my guests." Amy looked around. More and more people were arriving, and the vast living room and dining room started filling up. Amy hurried back up the stairway to Zai's room. She knocked.

"Who is it?" a voice called.

"It's me!" Amy replied.

"What do you want?" Zai asked, a little irritably.

"Ian wants to know why you haven't come down yet." she told him.

"You go on." Zai called back. "I'll be there in a few."

"Okay." Amy said as she walked back downstairs.

_I wish Nellie could be here, _she thought. _But she's out, probably at some weird restaurant trying __weird food looking checking out boys._ She was just about to go look for Ian again when she caught sight of Zai. He was wearing a soft, light gray Indian-style shirt with a black vest and loose, dark gray pants. Amy smiled to herself. Only Zai could come up with a way to dress up for a ball in those clothes. She pushed her way over to him.

"Hey, let's go find Ian." she said quietly. "I think he wants to talk to us."

"Okay," Zai agreed, "but then can we leave? I don't want to be here for more that fifteen minutes."

Amy nodded hastily and dragged Zai through the growing crowd to where Ian was chatting with some teenagers from his school.

"Hi, Ian." Amy greeted him

"Hello," Ian beamed. He gestured to the teenagers he was talking to. There were two boys and one girl. "Meet my classmates. Amy, Zai, this is James, Walter, and Olivia. James, Walter, and Olivia, this is Amy and Zai."

"Hey." Zai and Amy shook hands with Ian's friends.

"Well, see you later!" Ian called to his classmates. He led Zai and Amy a little ways away.

"There's someone I want you two to meet." he told them. "You might already know him." He led them to the dining room and up to a tall, blond man drinking a glass of wine. The man's brilliant green eyes opened wide in shock when he saw them.

"Amy, Zai, I'd like you to meet Matthew Brooks." Ian introduced them.

_I've seen this guy before, _thought Zai. _I'm not exactly sure who he is, but I'm sure I don't like him._

_**Sorry. I know that I took too long to update, and I know that this chapter was kind of slow and boring. But I really needed it to set up the events for the coming chapters. Please review!  
**_


	23. Suspicious Blonds and a Prince

_**Hey readers! I didn't get any reviews for last chapter, not that I was expecting any. :( This chapter will be much better, I swear. Enjoy!**_

Zai eyed Matthew Brooks suspiciously.

_I know I've seen him before, _he thought. _I've just got to remember who he is._

"Hello. Nice to meet you." Matthew smiled as he shook hands with Amy and Zai. Any recognition for Zai was concealed behind his calm, collected eyes.

"Mr. Brooks is a high-ranking Lucian in the fields of cryptology and telecommunications." Ian told them. "He'll be accompanying you when you leave."

"Wow." Amy breathed. "Cryptology! That's amazing, Mr. Brooks."

"Please. Call me Matt." He had a slight Australian accent.

"That's amazing, Matt!" Amy echoed. Zai rolled his eyes.

"I've heard a lot about you two, as well." Matt said, grinning slyly.

"Wait." Zai stepped forward. "Heard about us? What d'you mean?"

"Well, everyone's heard about you, Amy, and your brother, Dan." Matt started. "You two were underdogs in the Clue hunt, but kept in the game. In the end, you managed to convince the other Cahills to hand over their Clues."

"It-it-it didn't happen exactly like that..." Amy stuttered.

"And you." Matt went on, turning to Zai. Zai tensed. What did this guy know about him?

Matt was just about to start talking when Zai spotted Natalie. She was standing behind Matt, beckoning urgently to Zai.

"Um...I, uh, I gotta go." Zai smiled apologetically at Matt. "Nice meeting you!" He hurriedly walked away, pushing through the crowd until he reached Natalie.

"What is it?" he asked in a hushed voice. Natalie was wearing a low-cut black silk dress, with a large diamond necklace around her neck. She bit her bottom lip.

"It's about Matthew Brooks." She looked around nervously. "He might seem really friendly, but..."

"But what?" Zai asked. Why did Natalie always act so secretive?

"Just be careful." she warned. With that, she hurried off. Zai stood there, puzzled. What did Natalie know about Matt? Zai already knew that there was something he didn't like about Matthew Brooks, but what did Natalie know? Zai made up his mind. He would keep an eye on him, so he could be ready if he tried to do anything suspicious.

Zai stayed at the party for fifteen more minutes, walking around. He sat down in the dining room with a glass of iced tea. Suddenly, loud music filled the room. People started getting up and heading onto the dance floor. That was Zai's cue to leave. He had just gotten up when he heard a voice behind him.

"Not going to dance?"

Zai spun around. There was a tallish man with tousled reddish hair standing behind him. He was wearing a suit, and he had a glass of champagne in his hand. Zai peered at him. He had one of the most recognizable faces in the world.

"No, I'm not going to dance." Zai replied curtly. The man smirked.

"Oh? And why's that?" he asked. Zai raised an eyebrow.

_Are you drunk?_

"I don't know, maybe I don't want to." he replied evenly. The man laughed.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Alec." Zai replied. He didn't want to give his real name away. "What's yours?"

"Harry." the man replied, finishing his champagne. "Well, nice speaking with you, Alec." He turned and walked toward a group of women, who started squealing as he approached them.

_I've really got to get out of here, _Zai muttered to himself. He looked around for Matthew Brooks. If he was up to something, there was no time like the present to find out.

Amy was walking around with Ian as he introduced her to his friends.

"Where's Elias?" she asked, looking around. She couldn't picture Elias in an environment like this.

"Outside, doing target practice." Ian answered.

_I wish Elias would come, instead of practicing shooting. He needs to get out more. _Just then, the music started.

"Let's go to the dining room!" Ian said, pulling Amy, who started stuttering. They reached the dance floor. People were everywhere, dancing. Then, Ian spotted someone.

"Come on." he told Amy. "There's one more person I want you to meet." He led her over to the dining room. The same man that had talked to Zai, Harry, was chatting with a group of people. Ian walked up to him, with Amy following slowly behind. Harry turned around.

"Hello, Ian." he said, smiling.

"Hello." Ian replied. "This is Amy. Amy, this is Harry."

_Harry! _Prince _Harry? _Amy's heart started thudding. She was actually meeting a prince!

"Nice job." Prince Harry smirked at Ian. "You finally found a girlfriend." he gestured at Amy.

"I-I-I-I-I..." Amy couldn't get a word out. Ian smiled.

"Well, always nice talking to you. Come on, Amy." He took Amy by the hand and led her away. She still couldn't say anything.

Zai walked up to his room. He was tired again.

_That was prince Harry down there. _He thought. _Makes sense. I'm sure the Kabras would invite people like him._ Zai walked into his bathroom and brushed his teeth. He changed into pajamas and crawled into bed.

Later that night, Zai heard a noise. He sat up. His door creaked slowly.

_Someone's in my room. _

He lay back down again, pretending that he was asleep. The door opened completely and someone walked in. The shadowy person walked over to Zai's nightstand. There sat the shiny green stone that Zai rescued from the water in Hong Kong. The person reached out to grab it...

"What are you doing in here?" Zai asked loudly, turning on the light. Dan was standing there, caught red-handed.

"Uh...I...Uh..." he started. Zai snarled. He still hadn't forgiven Dan for what he did a couple nights ago. Dan quickly put the stone back.

"Get out." Zai hissed, pointing at the door. Dan slowly backed away, his eyes wide with fear. He stopped in front of it.

"Get out!" Zai yelled. Dan hurriedly ran out and shut the door. Zai put the stone under his pillow.

_I'll teach him to try and steal my things!_

It was on.

The next morning, Amy wandered downstairs. Nellie was still sleeping. All the guests from the party had gone, and Elias was sitting in the dining room having breakfast reading the newspaper. He looked grim.

"What is it?" Amy asked.

"See for yourself." Elias dropped his newspaper in front of Amy. Zai and Ian entered the room and walked over. They all gaped at what they saw. There, on the front page, was a picture of Zai, Amy and Ian as they talked to Prince Harry. The title read, _Mysterious Kids Who Fall from Hong Kong Hotel show up at Kabra Ball in London With Prince. Who are they?_

"Oh, no." Amy whispered. "Now Vespers all over the world will know we're here."

'_BOOOM!_' Just then, a crash sounded outside.

"Correction." Zai said, his voice hoarse. "The Vespers all over the world _do_ know we're here."

_**Do you know who Matthew Brooks is? Also, I do not own Prince Harry in any way. If he's reading this, I hope I didn't offend you. And please review!**_


	24. Uninvited Guests

_**Hello, faithful readers! This is the next action-packed chapter of my story. It's action-packed because the last couple chapters didn't have much action. Enjoy!**_

"Correction." Zai said, his voice hoarse. "Every Vesper all over the world _knows_ we're here."

"What's going on, dudes and dudette?" Nellie appeared by the door.

"Nellie!" Ian yelled. "Get Dan! Go to the shelter in the basement. The Vespers are here!"

"Whoa! Vespers? Here?" Nellie asked. She looked around, as if she expected them to pop out from under the floor.

"Get Dan now! Ask questions later!" Zai yelled at her.

"On it." Nellie set her jaw and nodded. She dashed back up the stairs. Ian pulled out his phone and pressed a red button on the side.

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" he yelled into it. "EVERYONE, TO SHELTER, NOW!" His voice was projected all over the mansion by speakers on the ceiling.

"Wh-wh-what're we going to do?" Amy asked. Her face was ashy.

"Elias!" Ian barked. "Activate the defense systems!"

"With pleasure!" Elias reached forward and pressed down of a flower vase in the middle of the table. In response, the table slid in two, revealing a huge screen. Elias tapped the screen, and it lit up. There were a bunch of touch-screen buttons along the side. He tapped 'Front lawns' The screen automatically showed the front lawns, where Ian, Elias, Zai, and Amy could see about thirty Vesper agents wearing black were advancing toward the mansion. He pressed a small black 'x' on the bottom of the screen. Suddenly, sprinklers came up out of the ground.

"What's that?" Amy asked.

"Watch." Elias grinned. The sprinklers started turning, but instead of spraying water, huge tongues of flame burst out of them. Amy jumped back, horrified. Even Zai looked a bit sick. When the flames cleared, some of the Vespers were wiggling around on the ground, screaming. The rest pushed on toward the house.

Amy looked to appalled to speak. Elias activated a different defense mechanism. As the Vespers reached the front doors, two stone lions in front of the doors opened their jaws. A cloud of pinkish gas billowed out of each of them. But none of the Vespers reacted.

_They're wearing gas masks, _Zai thought. _I'll bet they've got Kevlar vests well._

"They're coming in!" Amy yelped.

"Not if I can help it." Elias pressed another option, and a metal grid dropped in front of the front doors.

"That will slow them down, but it won't stop them." Ian said. "Everyone, let's get to the shelter."

"Ian?" Natalie had appeared at the other end of the room.

"Natalie!" Ian yelled. He ran over to her and grabbed her arm.

"Natalie and I will...assist you from the safe room." He said. Rage choked Zai.

"You'll _assist _us?" he seethed.

"No!" Natalie wrenched her hand from Ian's grip. "We fight, too." She drew a dart gun that was attached to her belt.

"Oh. Um...okay." Ian looked thoroughly embarrassed. The others didn't pay much attention, though. Everyone was too busy with trying to save their lives.

Then, _'KAAAAA-BOOOOMM!_ A huge explosion rocked the house.

"The Vespers are inside!" Elias yelled. He pulled out his ever-present Beretta. Natalie tightened her grip on her dart gun. Zai reached onto the table and grabbed two knives. They all tensed. Then, the Vespers burst into the dining room.

"TAKE COVER!" Elias yelled. He fired two shots and dove behind the table. One of the Vespers fell to the ground, screaming in agony. Ian and Amy joined Elias behind the table, while Zai and Natalie crouched behind a humongous potted plant in the corner. About fifteen more Vespers streamed into the room.

"We can't hold them off forever!" Zai exclaimed, hurling one of his knives. It buried itself in the foot of one of the black-clad Vespers.

"I'll take care of that!" Ian pressed another button on his phone, and a picture of himself on the wall slid aside. Behind it was a large muzzle. Like lightning, ten, small, almost invisible darts streaked across the room. Some of them found their targets, and six unconscious bodies thudded to the floor. It helped, but it wasn't enough.

"DO SOMETHING!" Elias yelled at Amy.

"AAAAAAH!" Amy screamed.

"I'VE GOT AN IDEA!" Natalie yelled. "ELIAS, TAKE OUT THE LIGHTS!"

"YOU GOT IT!" Elias raised his pistol and fired.

_SMASH! _The large chandelier above the table burst into a million pieces.

_SMASH! SMASH! SMASH! SMASH! SMASH! SMASH! _Six smaller light fixtures around the room shattered. Sharp glass shards exploded around thee room. Everyone ducked. When Zai and Natalie rose again, a Vesper was standing right in front of them. He sneered and raised his pistol directly at them. Zai was just about to break the Vesper's nose when he heard a loud _CLANG!_

"Oooh..." The gun-wielder wobbled and dropped to the floor. Standing behind him was Nellie, who was holding a flour-covered frying pan.

"Nellie!" they all called out at the same time.

"What are you doing here?" Amy asked.

"And what are you doing with that...thing?" Zai asked, gesturing toward the frying pan. It looked like something from a cheesy TV show from the 80s.

"Oh, this?" Nellie twirled the pan. "They're actually pretty easy to use. I snatched from that doughy chef as he ran for cover." She turned back around. The remaining Vespers were standing up, ready to fight.

"We need to get to the shelter." Ian whispered. "From there, we can escape."

"We'll need a diversion." Amy whispered back. Ian reached into his pocket and produced a small, black ball.

"This should do it." he murmured.

He threw it.

"COVER YOUR EYES!" he yelled. A flash of brilliant white light filled the room. The Vespers started screaming, blinded by the flash.

"This way!" Ian jumped up. They ran out of the dining room and down another flight of stairs. Footsteps were pounding behind them.

"Faster!" Ian screamed. They ran down another hall, Ian slamming the door behind them. At the end of the hall was a small room with metal walls. One wall was covered in screens. Dan was lying on the ground, and the Kabras' private doctor was standing over him.

"We need to leave." a deep voice said. Everyone looked over to see Matthew Brooks leaning against one of the walls.

"Matt?" Amy asked. "Why are you here?"

"Well, I was supposed to accompany you when you leave." he said. Ian nodded, as if trying to clear his head.

"Right. This way." he said. He pressed large red button on the wall. Part of it slid aside, leading outside.

"Come on!" he ushered them. Everyone in the shelter ran out. Just outside was the jet that Zai, Ian, Amy, and Elias had flown in on. Everyone hurried aboard.

"Take us out of here!" Natalie told the pilot. He seemed to notice the urgency in her voice, and started the plane up immediately.

They took off, leaving the Vespers behind. Just as Zai settled back, he heard another plane behind them. He looked back. The other plane was all black, with a big, red 'V' on the side.

_Oh, crud._

_**Sorry I ended this chapter with another cliff-hanger. Just a warning: I might not update for another week. My computer needs repairing. Stay tuned til then!**_


	25. Seperation!

_** Guess who's back! *Dodges sharp item thrown at me* Calm down! There a couple things I would like to say (er, write) first.**_

_**I'm terribly sorry you had to wait so long. I was traveling for the last ten days, and after that I was taking a summer engineering camp, then I took a course at the metal art center, then I took a summer geography course... **_

_**I promise I will put more time into my chapters. I know they have been getting shorter and shorter recently, so I want to make them the way they used to be.**_

_**I would REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY appreciate more reviews. Can I get three reviews per chapter? Pleeeeeaaaaaase?**_

_** Well, enough of that. Let the reading begin!**_

Amy twisted around in her seat. A large black jet was right behind them. Amy knew automatically it was a Vesper jet. She was about to scream when suddenly the plane started dropping.

"What's happening?" she yelled. Nobody replied. Amy felt like she was getting squished into her seat. Everyone was gripping their armrests, and Natalie's mouth was open in an endless scream. Suddenly, the drop stopped. The plane shot upward, and Amy felt like an invisible hand was crushing her back.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" she screamed as they streaked up. But she couldn't even hear herself over the sound of the engine. Then, everything started tilting. Amy closed her eyes as her stomach wrenched. Her heart was pounding so hard she felt like it was going to rip out of her chest. Soon, the plane was completely upside-down. Amy squeezed her eyelids shut tighter. She was afraid that if she opened them, she would faint. The plane dove sharply again. Amy thought for sure that they would smash into the ground. She felt another wrenching in her stomach as the plane turned. This felt like getting put into a washing machine. Then, they were rocketing upward again. Amy didn't know which was up and which way was down.

_If I survive this, I'll never fly again, _she vowed. Then, everything was smooth. The plane leveled out. Amy slowly opened her eyes. Everyone was still, glued to their seats.

"Is everyone okay?" Matthew Brooks called. Natalie's mouth was still open, but no sound was coming out. Elias waved a hand in front of her face. She closed her mouth, but her eyes were the size of saucers.

"I'm f-f-f-f-f-f..." Amy stuttered. Her heart was pounding so much that she couldn't form words. Matt looked questioningly at her.

"She's _fine_." Dan offered. Everyone looked at Amy. She blushed, embarrassed about being the center of attention.

"N-no, I'm fine now." Amy said quickly, trying to change the subject. She looked out her window again. The Vesper plane was still following them, but it was much further away. "What are they trying to do?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Well, if they were trying to kill us, they would've done that already." Matt said thoughtfully.

"I feel _so _much better." Zai muttered. Amy looked down at the water. The waves were getting kind of choppy. Then she noticed something. She looked closer. She saw a large, orange rectangle. It was descending slowly toward the water. Her eyes opened wide with terror.

"_The pilot!_" she yelled shrilly. Everyone turned toward her.

"What about the pilot?" Natalie asked.

"_He left us!_" Amy screamed. "_He left us!_"

Everyone looked out their windows. When they, too, saw the pilot parachuting to safety, mayhem broke out in the plane. Everyone started screaming as the plane started to stall.

"_We're going to die! We're going to die!_" Natalie was shrieking. Amy and Ian had apparently passed out.

"Nellie!" Dan yelled. "Can't you fly this thing?"

"On it!" Nellie stood up and pushed her way past the screaming people into the cockpit. The engines were losing power.

"Bad news!" Nellie's voice blared over the sound of the engine and the screaming. "There's no more fuel in the tanks!"

Amy closed her eyes again. She felt weak, like she should surrender. She was in a plane with no gas thousands of feet above the English Channel. She doubted she was going to make it. Why fight it? She'd done all she could. It was out of her hands now. Then, she felt someone shaking her shoulders. She opened her eyes and found herself staring into the intense green gaze of Matthew Brooks.

"Amy, get up! We're going to have to use parachutes!" he said. He was yelling, but it sounded muffled and faint to Amy. She came to her senses. _Parachutes? _She thought wearily. _Maybe there's a chance... _Slowly, Amy got to her feet. Everyone had gathered near the back of the plane. Some of them were gripping large packs that she assumed were parachutes. Everyone looked ashy with fear.

"Nellie, Elias, Ian, and I are the heaviest, so we'll each get out own parachute." Matt started.

_Our own? _Amy looked around. With a sickening dread, she realized that there were eight of them in the plane, and only six parachutes.

"Zai and Natalie, you share one." he went on. "Amy and Dan, you'll have the other."

Everyone was too scared to argue. Nellie, Matt, Ian, and Elias each grabbed a pack. With Natalie gripping him tightly around the neck, Zai put the other one on. Amy started at the parachute that someone had thrust into her hands. Suddenly, Nellie and Elias were gone. Amy realized that they had jumped. She didn't even realized someone had opened the door. She looked just in time to see Matt and Ian hurtling themselves out. Ian was screaming, but Amy couldn't hear any of it. Her heart was pounding so hard she couldn't concentrate on anything else. Then, she saw Zai and Natalie leaning out the door. It occurred to her that a lot of people were screaming, but she could barely hear anything. In a flash, Zai and Natalie were gone. It was just Dan and her. Dan was holding onto her for dear life. Amy slipped on the parachute. She realized that she didn't have much time before the plane hit the water. She took a deep breath and inched forward. As she peered outside, she suddenly felt dizzy. Her vision blurred. But just before she blacked out, Dan shoved her.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Falling out of a plane was the most terrifying, exciting, scary, unexplainable feeling Amy had ever experienced. Just before Dan had pushed her, she was on the verge of fainting. Now, she was screaming her lungs out as she plummeted thousands of feet toward the English Channel. Nothing else mattered. It was if all of her senses had been shut off, and screaming had become the center of her very being. She was vaguely aware of Dan gripping her tightly around her shoulders, his hands looped through the straps of the parachute they were sharing. _Parachute. _The word echoed in Amy's mind. Then, with a jolt, she stopped screaming for a second and realized that she was supposed to pull the ripcord. In that flash of concentration, she fumbled around for the cord. Her fingertips brushed against it. She inhaled deeply. Once, twice. Then she pulled with all her might.

Amy was jerked upward after she pulled the ripcord. She looked up. A huge, orange rectangle had blossomed out above her. She looked around. She wasn't plummeting anymore. She was drifting. It was almost fun, and it was kind of peaceful. She nudged Dan, and he slowly opened his eyes.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, taking in the view. They were just floating thousands of feet up in the air, with nothing but the wind rushing in their ears.

"Look, I can see France!" Amy shouted, pointing. Dan squinted. In the distance, there was a vast, green land mass on the horizon.

"And there's England!" Dan yelled, pointing in the opposite direction. They got so caught up in admiring the awesome view that they forgot how close they were getting to the water.

"What was that?" Dan exclaimed as something landed on his cheek. Amy looked down. With a start, she saw that they were about fifteen feet above the water, and droplets were being sprayed upward by the wind.

"Hang on!" She yelled. She squeezed her eyes shut as the water rushed up to greet her.'

Amy gasped as she hit the water. It was shockingly cold. Immediately she started paddling to keep afloat. Dan was doing the same. The water was gray and choppy, and the waves at least five feet high were crashing all around them. Amy looked around to see Elias, Nellie, and Matt were swimming toward her and Dan.

"Is everyone alright?" Matt shouted.

"We're fine." Amy said as they all reached one another. Nellie looked like a wet skunk with her hair plastered to her face, and Elias still had his sunglasses on. And Zai...

"Where's Zai?" Amy asked suddenly.

"And Natalie?" Ian asked, panic rising in his voice. He started looking around. But Zai and Natalie were nowhere to be seen.

"Natalie!" Ian screamed, paddling to stay afloat. "NATALIE!" No answer. Everyone had spread out a little, calling for Zai and Natalie. Ian called his sister's name again, with the same results. Now he was panicking.

"Ian? Any luck?" Amy called. Ian turned and saw Amy swimming toward him. She was panting and shivering.

"We have to find her." Ian said, not listening to Amy. "We have to find Natalie! Please! Help me!"

"We will, I promise." Matt came up behind Amy. "But right now, what's important is that we get out of the water before anyone gets hypothermia."

"But we have to find her!" Ian shouted, thrashing. Matt grabbed Ian by the shoulders.

"Ian! Snap out of it!" he said. "What good will it do Natalie and Zai if you're dead too?"

With that, Ian seemed to calm down a little.

"You're right." he said quietly. Matt nodded. Nellie and Elias swam up.

"Now what?" Nellie asked.

"I called for help the minute we found out the pilot had abandoned us." Matt said. "Help should be here any minute." As if on cue, a bluish-green sphere surfaced about eight feet away. The bottom half was made out of some sort of metal, and there were two large motors on the back. A panel on the side opened up and a man smiled at them from inside. Amy's eyes widened when she saw who it was.

"Hello, youngsters." Alistair Oh smiled, tipping his bowler hat.

A couple dozen yards away, Zai spat out some salty sea water. With one hand, he paddled furiously to stay afloat. With the other hand, he held Natalie around the shoulder and struggled to keep her head above water. Natalie's shallow breathing was the only indication that she was alive. Their jump didn't go so well. They had landed badly, and Natalie had struck her head, knocking her out. Zai was trying to keep both of them alive, but he was getting very cold, and he knew it was only a matter of time before hypothermia set in. He didn't have much strength left to stay afloat.

_Is this the end? _Zai asked himself. _I've avoided death many times before, but is this really the time? I'm sorry, Ian. I couldn't protect your sister. Two more people in my life I've failed. _Zai took one last gulp of air. The last of his strength was slipping away and he was just about to slip under when an ear-splitting rumble split the air. Zai looked up and gasped. A huge freighter was slicing through the water toward them. With new-found energy, he kicked toward it. He could see the name painted on the side. It was called the _Belle_.

_ Must be a French ship, _he thought. Quickly, he checked Natalie's wrists for bracelets. She had several sapphire bracelets around her left wrist. He removed them, and used the sharp edge to snag the bottom of his shirt. From the snag, he tore a strip off the bottom.

"OVER HERE! OVER HERE!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, waving the strip of fabric high above his head. He hoped the dark red of his shirt would stand out enough against the blue-gray of the water to attract attention. Fortunately, there were a couple sailors on deck. After screaming some more, Zai was about to give up, when one of the sailors shouted something and pointed. A group quickly gathered on deck. Zai swam as fast as he could toward the ship. From one of the lower decks, a long rope ladder was dropped. Zai first secured Natalie to the ladder, and they hoisted it up. A few moments later, it was dropped again. Zai grasped it and held on tightly as he was raised up. A wiry sailor in a red sweater was at the top, and he helped pull Zai onto the deck. Natalie had already been taken away, probably to be attended to by the ship's doctor. Zai collapsed onto the floor, heaving.

"Ce qui s'est passé à vous?" The man asked. Zai looked him.

"Je ne parle pas français. I don't speak French." Zai wheezed. The man smiled.

"Ah, hello. We will have many questions for you and your friend, but first, let me introduce myself." he said. "My name is David Foucan."

_** Hoped you liked it. If you have any suggestions, just comment!**_


	26. Old Friends

_** Hey readers. I didn't get three reviews last chapter :(. I was busy for the last couple days, so sorry for the wait. Maybe this time I can get three reviews (Hint, hint).  
**_

Ian walked to the window in his small hotel room. Yesterday, after rescuing them from the middle of the English Channel, Alistair had taken them to Calais, a French port town. They'd checked into a small hotel late that night, but Ian hadn't slept even one minute. Subconsciously, he turned around and walked back to his bed. He stood there a minute, then walked back toward the window. He turned and started walking back toward the door when it suddenly swung open, revealing Amy.

"Amy!" Ian jumped a little. He quickly straightened. "What a surprise!"

Amy narrowed her eyes. "I was knocking for two minutes."

"Oh." Ian looked down, his composure breaking again. Amy walked in and leaned against the wall.

"You're really worried about her, aren't you?" She asked softly. "We all are."

"Of course I'm worried, it's just...Natalie and I are the only ones left." Ian said, looking at the floor. "Mum's in prison...she'll probably never get out. Dad ran off to Brazil...he's probably dead. If Natalie-"

"She's not dead." Amy said firmly. "And neither is Zai. We'll find them, Ian. The _Maritime Gendarmerie _and the English Coast Guard have boats all over the Channel. And since the Tomas control the US Navy, they're sending some ships over, too."

Ian stood up. "Thanks, Amy. I'm going for a walk." With that, he turned and walked out the door without looking back. Amy looked after him in dismay. _I hope he'll be okay._

Zai buried his head under his pillow on his bed. He was in a small room the crew of the _Belle_ had provided him. He had just taken a shower and changed into a set of clothes that had been left for him on the bed: A oversized white cotton shirt, long, well-worn jeans, and a red bandana. After donning the clothes (minus the bandana), he threw himself onto his bed. He wanted to get off the ship as fast as possible. First off, it had been hard for him to explain how he and Natalie had ended up in the middle of the English Channel, with one of them unconscious. Zai had improvised and told David Foucan that he and Natalie were cousins, and they had been on their family's yacht when they'd fallen overboard. He seemed to buy it, he and Natalie looked enough alike that they could be related, and he didn't press for details about how they fell overboard.

This whole situation was...depressing. He was separated from the rest of the group, the Vespers were after them, and he had no money, no passport.

Well, money wasn't really an issue, as he was traveling with Natalie Kabra. But he just wanted the whole thing to be over with. He had helped them get Dan, which was the only reason he had joined them in the first place. Now...did they really need him? Just then, there was a knock at the door. He quickly jumped to his feet.

"Come in!" he called. The door opened slowly and Natalie entered.

"Oh, hey, Natalie." he said. She stood in the doorway, looking at her feet and twisting a strand of hair around her finger.

"I, um..." Natalie started. Zai raised his eyebrows expectantly.

"I want to...say thanks." she finished. "You know, for saving me."

Zai supposed that it was probably expected of someone in this position to say 'It was no big deal' or 'It was nothing.' But it was a big deal. He nearly died himself doing it.

"I almost drowned doing it, but I didn't really have a choice. I was conscious, you weren't." he told her plainly. He had always been uncomfortable with praise, especially when it had to do with saving someone's life. "You would've done the same thing."

"I suppose..." Natalie sounded uncertain.

_You suppose? _He thought to himself. _That's the last time I parachute with you!_

"I mean...I would!" Natalie noticed Zai's expression change.

"Breakfast time!" a voice was heard behind Natalie. David Foucan had briefly appeared in the doorway.

Then Zai forgot about his uncertainties and realized how hungry he was. He hadn't eaten anything since breakfast yesterday at the Kabras'. Natalie was probably as hungry as he was.

Ian walked down by the pier, looking out over the rough, grayish-blue ocean. Was his sister somewhere down there? He stood there staring for a few minutes and then turned and walked back up, past the small stores lined up by the water. It was about a five minute walk back to the hotel, but for some reason he didn't want to go back. He didn't really know _what_ he wanted to do. He had so many emotions, part of him just wanted to walk and walk and not talk to anyone for the rest of his life. The other part of him wanted someone to which he could cry and spill all his emotions out. He left the waterfront behind and walked up the road, not really knowing or caring where he was going.

Natalie made her way back to her room. After a breakfast of sausages and eggs, she wasn't feeling so weak. She wouldn't eat food like that like that back home, but what choice did she have. She sighed. Oh, the sacrifices she'd made in her life. She hoped they were worth it. She turned the corner that led to her room, only to find Zai leaning against the wall next to her door.

"Hey." he said.

"Hello." she replied. She hadn't seen him since breakfast. Come to think of it, she didn't see him _at _breakfast.

"I talked to Mr. Foucan." he continued. "He says we'll be docking in Cherbourg tomorrow.

"Okay." she answered. Having told there that, Zai turned and walked away. Natalie looked thoughtfully at him. He seemed...different, more weighed down. This whole crazy adventure must've really taken it's toll on him. Not only that, but after what happened a couple years ago...

_No. What happened was Elizabeth's fault. I helped him! And so did Elias! And Ian..._

Natalie ran into her room and shut the door. The thoughts of what her brother did, or rather what he _didn't _do, were unbearable. She collapsed onto her bed, sobbing softly.

Amy sat on her bed. Today was the last day of searching for Natalie and Zai. If they weren't found today...

"Hey." Amy was pulled out of her tormented thoughts by a voice from the door of the room she was sharing with Nellie.

"What do you want, Dan?" she asked.

"We're going to join one of the searches." he replied. "Coming?"

"Okay." she answered. Amy was mad at herself for not being more enthusiastic about joining a search. But inside, she was more scared about what they might find then about what they might _not _find.

Amy, Dan, Nellie, Elias, and Alistair made their way to the pier, where a ship would be waiting.

"They should be here by now." Alistair commented. The sun was high in the air, and they were supposed to meet the ship at noon. He was just about to suggest they head back to the hotel and wait when Amy spotted them.

"Look! Over there!" she pointed. A Tarawa-class US Navy Amphibious Assault Ship was docked at the far end of the pier.

"Whoa!" Dan yelled. "Let's go!" They all ran toward it. As they got closer, Amy noticed that there was a name painted on the side in huge letters: _USS MADISON_

"How did you convince the Tomas to send _this_ over?" Nellie asked incredously.

"I have many friends in all the branches, my dear." Alistair smiled. "And speaking of friends..."

"_HEY! AMY! DAN!_" someone yelled to them from the deck of the ship. Amy shielded her eyes and looked up. She gaped at who she saw.

"Hamilton Holt?" she exclaimed, dumbfounded. Then, she watched in open-mouth surprise as the rest of the Holt Clan, Eisenhower, Mary-Todd, Madison, and Reagan stepped appeared over the railing.

_** This chapter was kinda short and flat, but I needed it so set the stage for the upcoming one. Stay tuned!**_


	27. Awkward conversations, and Icee Hot

_**Guess who's back! Sorry it took me so freaking long to update. You know, the usual. Writing, getting ready for school, etc. But now I'm back, and here's the next chapter (I hope) you've all been waiting for.**_

Dan stood in the bow of the ship, leaning over the rail. In every direction, it was the same. Water, water, and more water. Water stretched all way to the sinking sun, slowly swallowing it. Just looking at all that water made him feel soggy. That, and he was being sprayed with a million drops of water every time the ship rocked. He reached for the binoculars around his neck and peered through them. He could see land in the distance, but no sign of a person in the water. Nobody swimming, nobody clinging to a rickety raft waving a red flag.

"ANY SIGN OF THE BODIES?" Eisenhower's voice boomed across the ship. Dan cringed inside. The way Eisenhower said 'bodies'.

_Not bodies_, he told himself. _They might be alive. They HAVE to be alive._

Dan was trying to convince himself, but deep down, he knew that the chances of two kids surviving in the freezing English Channel were very slim. Unless they'd been picked up by a passing ship. But the English Coast Guard and the _Maritime Gendarmerie_ had sent out a message and were to be notified if they were found. And if they _were_ dead...Dan didn't want to think about it. Sometimes, he hoped that they would find them, no matter what. But then, he found himself dreading what they might find...

…...

Natalie Kabra sat in her room. She was all out of tears. They soaked her cheeks and the top of her shirt.

_Snap out of it, Natalie. _

She knew that what happened years ago was wrong, and what her mother and aunt did was wrong. But was she just as wrong as them? She hadn't done anything to stop them. Didn't that make her just as bad, if not worse, than her mother?

She got up. What did Zai think of her? Did he resent her, because her mother, aunt, brother, (and to some extent, herself), had caused him so much pain and suffering?

She stood up and walked over the the small mirror on top of her dresser. A teary-eyed, confused girl looked back at her. A face that was supposed to be a mask, hiding a ruthless killer and backstabber, was now the face of a torn twelve-year old. She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn't know she had that much sadness and angst pent up inside her, and now she felt lighter, like a large weight had been lifted off her chest. But now, she felt the need to talk so someone.

Zai was tired of sitting in his room. Being on a ship seemed unbearably dull. He had decided never to ride on a freighter again if he could help it. He decided that he would out on deck. He needed the fresh air; he hadn't gone outside since he'd arrived on the ship.

He opened the door and walked through the corridors and hallways until he emerged into the late afternoon air. The sun was setting, and there were seagulls circling the ship. He walked over the rail and stared out over the water. Did the others think he was down there somewhere? The very thought made him shudder. How long would it be before they found each other? Did he even _want_ to find them? He had helped them get Dan, so did they still need him? Should he part ways with Natalie when they reached Cherbourg? Maybe. Then, he could return to...what? What did he have anymore? For the past few years, he was basically held captive at the Madrigal stronghold in Boston. But those had been the darkest years of his life. And, he begrudgingly admitted to himself, since he had come on this adventure, he felt..._alive _again. With people who he could (hopefully) trust. It was almost like they'd become friends. But maybe not quite.

Zai closed his eyes and let the salty breeze wash over him.

"Umm..."

Zai whirled around to see where the voice belonged to. Natalie stood about feet away from him, looking at her shoes.

"Can I help you?" he asked, not looking directly at her. He found that not making eye contact made conversations, especially with girls, less awkward.

"I just...um...well, I was wondering if you're mad at me." she finished quickly. "For...you know-".

"For the death of everyone that mattered to me, the day that destroyed my life?" he asked, his voice dangerously calm. He turned back to the water. "No, I'm not mad at you. Why?"

"Well, um... I was thinking. Abut that, I mean. And, I...realize what happened was wrong. Also, I didn't do anything to stop it. So..."

"The only ones I blame are Elizabeth and your mother." Zai said. His voice had taken on an icy coldness, Natalie shivered when he heard him. "Elias disobeyed orders to help me. And you..." He turned around and looked Natalie in the eye. Natalie took an involuntary step back.

"You saved me in Japan." his gaze flickered, and he turned around again. "Why?"

"Well...I suppose...it was before I knew about my mother and father. About the terrible things that they did. And...it was before I wanted to be like them. I was small and scared, and it just seemed wrong."

"Well, it doesn't matter. You stood up to what you thought was right, even though it wasn't what your mother wanted. And I guess I sort of owed you after that."

_And you've already repaid your debt. _Natalie thought. _If you didn't, we'd both be dead right now._

But Natalie didn't speak. She simply turned and walked back inside, to her room. She'd said all that she needed to say.

Zai stood there for a minute, listening to Natalie's fading footsteps. Then he turned and walked away, without a second glance at the sun.

…...

Amy closed her eyes and fought down a wave of despair that threatened to consume her.

_Stay strong._

The sun was setting, and there was not much hope of finding them after sunset. There was an air of grief and despair on the ship. Even the Holts seemed less boisterous than usual. The thought of two dead kids could do that. Amy remembered how she felt when Grace had died, and then when they'd thought that Alastair had died, and then when Irina died, and then, finally, Lester. But, this, somehow, was worse. Maybe because they were just kids, aged fourteen and twelve. How would Ian cope with this? He hadn't joined them, clearly he was too stressed out and depressed.

"It's not over, you know." Dan walked up next to her. "Even if we don't find her, it's possible another ship did, and when we get back, we'll find out. Or maybe they managed to swim to shore, and are now trying to find us. Or maybe..."

_Or maybe they _are _dead. _Amy finished.

_You can't lose hope. There's always a chance._ Dan thought back at her.

Amy half smiled at her brother. Was this really the same kid who had enjoyed smearing Icee Hot on the toilet seats in the teachers' lounge back in Boston? Maybe he was finally maturing. She reached for her brother's hand to squeeze, but he pulled away.

_There's a limit to how far I can go._ He thought. Amy smiled at him. Maybe not.

…...

Aboard the Belle, David Foucan sat in his office. It was a small, cramped little room, covered wall-to-wall with maps and charts. A typical captains' office. Or maybe not so typical. David walked over to a large chart on the wall next to a window. He scanned it quickly, and pressed his thumb firmly down on Tokyo. A brief buzzing could be heard, before a crackly voice came over a small microphone mounted behind the map.

"What is it, Foucan?" The voice was scratchy, it was impossible to tell if it was male or female.

"You know those two kids, the ones Elizabeth's after?"

There was a pause. "Yeah?"

"Well, I've got good news." David cackled. "I've got 'em."

_**Hoped you liked it. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Sorry for being harsh, but I want to make sure you get the message. Until next time!**_


	28. In Honor

_**So sorry to keep you guys waiting, you know, the usual: School, homework, and annoying writers' block. But now that I have some free time on the weekend, I thought I would get this chapter out for you, 'cause I might not be able to do so for another week. **_

Natalie Kabra blinked her eyes open. Golden sunlight streamed through the small circular window above her bed, splashing over her and making her squint. She sat up, rubbing her eyes.

_Today, we dock in Cherbourg. _

Natalie was looking forward to get off this dreary ship. She had used the anxious hours aboard to her advantage, replenishing her ever-present supply of Lucian poisons, stowed in places such as as the heels of her shoes, the diamond on her necklace, the ruby ring she wore since she was eight. The meager chemicals she'd managed to scavenge up and mix weren't ideal, but, being a Lucian, she was always ready. She planned to spend the morning sitting in her room, basking in her own silence, since she wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, especially Zai. But she knew it was unavoidable, they were in this together. She sighed, getting to her feet. The sooner she contacted her brother, the better, but she knew it wouldn't be that simple. They couldn't go back to London; the Vespers would undoubtedly waiting for them. Her best bet now would to accompany Zai and the Cahills on their..._quest. _That was another thing that puzzled her: Why was Zai helping Amy and Dan? He didn't seem like the kind of person to risk his life for someone else out of the sheer goodness of his heart. Did he have a secret agenda?

_Of course not. _Natalie dismissed the thought. Zai was just being helpful. Maybe he just wanted to travel and be active again. Whatever the case, they needed each other now. And she knew she could depend on him. But the question she asked herself: Could he depend on her?

…...

Amy Cahill jerked her head up.

_Must've dozed off._

She stretched and rubbed her eyes, adverting her gaze to the cheerful sunlight brightening her room. She was sitting in a chair against the wall, her neck aching slightly.

_Why wasn't I in bed- oh my god._

That's when it hit her like freight train: Zai and Natalie were dead. She slumped forward, all of her morning energy suddenly sucked out of her. The shining sun no longer seemed like a sign of a good day, but more like a cruel joke. She felt like screaming at the sun: two kids were dead at the bottom of the sea, it should be dark and cloudy. She slowly got to her feet. A familiar feeling of grief gripped her; it was like an icy cold blanket wrapping around her body, chilling her to the bone. She'd felt the same way when Grace had died. But this time, it was two kids under the age of fifteen. And she felt like it was her fault. Dan and Uncle Fiske had been kidnapped, why had Zai and Natalie Kabra payed for it? Zai probably knew he was risking his life on this mission, but Natalie had been unwillingly swept into this.

She slowly got to her feet. She caught her reflection in the mirror beside her bed and did a double-take: She hadn't combed her in almost a week; it clumped together in matted chunks and hung in front of her eyes, which were red and puffy. She hadn't eaten anything in almost 24 hours, and she felt about ready to drop from exhaustion, both mental and physical. She was interrupted by her tormented reflections when there was a knock at her door.

Before she could answer, the door burst open, and Dan stepped in, taking in the sight of his disheveled sister.

"Whoa! What happened to you?" he asked, recoiling slightly. Amy didn't even bother scold him for his childishness. Immediately Dan's head dropped, and his eyes darkened.

"I could've been dressing." she muttered sullenly, brushing a strand of hair out of her eye.

"But you weren't, so let's go." Dan turned. "Uncle Alistair wants us all to meet in his room." He had been trying to lighten the situation before, but it hadn't worked. He was just as weary as Amy, and honestly, she was a little pained to see her usually cheerful and talkative brother so depressed and serious-looking. Wordlessly, she followed him out of her room and a few doors down the hall where Alistair was staying. Dan opened the door without knocking, just as he had done at Amy's room. Ian, Nellie, Alistair, Elias, and Matt were gathered, all looking rather grim. Amy shut the door behind her and leaned against it.

For a long few moments, nobody spoke. Then, Alistair Oh took a deep breath.

"This is...a tragedy." he started gravely. "Two children, taken from us by the Vespers before their life really began."

Nobody really knew how to respond to that. Alistair coughed awkwardly.

"I'm sending the rest of you home." he finally said. "After what happened...it's too dangerous for you to continue on your mission. The Vespers are hunting us, and you'll be safer under the protection of your branches."

There was another long pause while everybody processed that statement.

_Would we?_ Amy wondered numbly. _Could the Madrigals really protect us from the Vespers? _

"No." Ian suddenly spoke up. Amy gasped. _Did he just read my mind?_

"We're not going home." Ian finished. "Natalie and Zai wouldn't want us to give up."

"He's right." Dan piped up. "And it won't be much safer back home, anyway. At least when were traveling, the Vespers will have to keep searching for us."

"We set out in the first place with Zai to rescue Dan and Uncle Fiske," Amy added, "And we didn't accomplish that yet. We have to keep going, in order to honor Zai's and Natalie's efforts. We can't let their sacrifices be in vain."

Nellie and Elias nodded. "This loss just increases the importance of this mission." Elias said.

"I totally agree. We owe them that much, especially after they've risked their lives for us." Nellie affirmed. Alistair looked around the room for a minute.

"Is this really what you feel is best?" he asked. Amy could tell by the look in his eye that he did not share their decision.

"Yes!" everyone answered at the same time. Alistair sighed wearily.

"Then I suppose there's no changing your minds." He sighed again. "And, as the eldest among us, it is my duty to assist you."

"Uncle Alistair, you don't..." Amy started. She was trying to find a polite way to say, _You're too old._

Alistair shook his head, then looked at Amy and Dan. "I wasn't there for you before," he said quietly. He stood, leaning on his cane, his gaze intensifying. "So let me be there for you now."

Amy and Dan locked eyes with him and gave a slight nod of thanks. Then, they turned to the rest gathered in the room. At that instant, a connection of friendship and trust passed through them. In an instant, they knew that they could count on each other until the end.

"So, what's the new plan, dudes?" Nellie tried to lighten the atmosphere, though it was a legitimate question. Matthew pulled his chair forward.

"I've been tracking Vesper movements in the Himalayas," he offered, "I think I might have a lead..."

…...

Zai looked out the window of his room. They were pulling into the French port Cherbourg. Several tugboats were floating alongside them...tugging them toward the docks. Zai moved a step back to get out of the sunlight, and felt something shift in his pocket. Reaching in, he closed his hand around the round object and pulled it out. It was a beautiful stone, jade, to be precise, about the size of a golf ball, with a rounded oval shape. It was a milky green, with small, delicately carved words adorning it'sside. Zai had read them a million times before, he could describe the text and size from memory. He held it in his hands, rubbing his fingertips around the cool surface, feeling the words beneath his skin. He closed his eyes and remembered the words:

_To Zai, the best twin brother in the whole world_

_ -Zana_

He saw the vivid memories when his sister had pressed the stone into his hand, just before she'd died.

_ Before she was _killed.

She must've gotten it beforehand and was planning on giving it to him on a special occasion. Now, it was all he had left of her. He had vowed to keep that stone for as long as he lived. But no matter how much he looked at it, it wasn't enough.

"Zai! We're about to dock in Cherbourg!" Natalie burst into the room, interrupting Zai's thoughts.

"Your powers of observation are _frightening._" he muttered. Natalie appeared not to hear him. Instead, she was staring out the window, a nervous look spreading across her face.

"Zai, what's going on out there?" she asked. Zai peered out the round window. The ship had come to a stop at one of the unloading docks. But Natalie was right, something was strange. They were on a cargo ship, but there was no sign of any cargo being unloaded. Zai and Natalie looked closer. Then, Natalie's blood ran cold. A black Hummer was pulling up next to a warehouse right past the dock. The door opened, and two men in dark suits emerged. Zai's eyes widened. The Hummer had a big, black 'V' painted on the top.

"The Vespers..." Natalie whispered, "They've got us."

…...

_**Ta-da. The next step in the story. Stay tuned!**_


	29. Escape

**_I'm__ back! I decided to update now, since I have a week off school. I really liked writing the last chapter, and I have heaps of ideas that I can't wait to include in the future._**

Natalie Kabra and Zai pressed themselves against the wall of his room, breathing heavily. The Vespers had them captive aboard a fake freighter, and they were separated from the rest of their friends. Definitely a worst-case scenario.

"They'll be here any minute!" Zai hissed, trying to keep his fear from showing. _How could I have been so blind? I knew this ship was fishy! People think Natalie and I disappeared, so they'd be searching for us. A real freighter would've alerted the authorities immediately after finding us!_

"Do you have a plan?" Natalie asked in a quivering voice. Zai stared at her.

"You're the Lucian! Aren't you supposed to be good at coming up with strategies?"

He immediately felt guilty at snapping, after all, he was older and more mature.

Natalie closed her eyes for a moment. "We're surrounded by Vespers on the docks," she said slowly, "so the safest way off the ship will be by-"

"By water." Zai finished. He looked out the small, circular window above his bed. Far too small for either of them to fit through, provided that they could break the plastic. And the gray, polluted water didn't look too inviting, either.

"There are too many of them for us to sneak off right away..." Natalie mused, twirling a strand of raven hair around her finger. Zai was mildly impressed about how calmly she was talking about escaping off a ship crawling with brutal Vespers; she looked like she was back in London shopping at Harrods, deciding on a pair of shoes to add to the plethora she had at home. "We'll have to create a diversion."

"You're insane." Zai shook his head, picturing himself and Natalie leaping dramatically off the ship as it exploded behind them, sending a huge fireball into the air while the Vespers on the docks looked on in shock.

"Let's do it."

...

"Are you sure this is safe, Uncle Alistair?" Amy Cahill asked. They were standing in the hotel parking lot, examining at the dubious-looking car in front of them. It looked sort of like a squashed, white minivan, with a tall, broad windsheild with a crack running through the middle, and a flat back, and one of the tires was larger than the other three, tilting it slightly to one side. There were larges paint that had been scraped off, and one of the doors hung slightly open.

"Quite sure, my dear." Alistair smiled proudly at the run-down van. "This is one of our finest creations-the height of Ekaterina engineering. Of course, it's not ideal, flying would be a better option, but I can't get a plane here in time, and I think I might be a little too old for parachuting."

"Oh, I'm sure we'll be fine." Amy replied. Ian stared sullenly out over the water, not bothering to add his two pence. He had barely said a word since yesterday, Amy wondered if he was in any condition to continue on with them, but he didn't really have a choice. Dan also seem ed sulky; he hadn't mocked Amy or called her a nerd in in days.

"What makes it so great?" Elias asked, peering through his ever-present sunglasses at the white monstrosity.

"Well, she may not look like much, but this car is made with the same design as our armored limos that the Lucians stole from us years ago." Alistair answered, glancing at Ian. "It's fire-proof, bullet-proof, even bomb-proof. It has a direct link to Ekaterina satellites, through which it can receive information from our strongholds, as well as the precise location of anyone on the planet." Alistair smoothed his jacket. "It is also equipped with our top-notch defense mechanisms. It is more than match for the black Hummers that the Vespers use, only not quite as flashy."

_You think? _Amy thought. Nellie opened the driver's door and peered in.

"Looks fine to me." she declared, boldly ignoring the fact that she was sitting in what was the frumpiest car Dan had ever seen. She hopped in. "Let's get going!"

"Comfy." she commented. Dan climbed into the backseat, placing himself between Amy and Matt. He had to admit: It _was _pretty comfortable. The door next to Amy, he realized, only appeared to be ajar. It was actually sealed shut, with a crooked door placed over it, giving it the appearance of a broken door. The whole inside of the car was actually extremely modern and state-of-the-art, the outside was just a disguise.

_Disguise. _Dan rolled the word around in his head. Such a dangerous and complicated word, both very good and very bad at the same time. He made a mental note to be wary of disguises in the future.

"You dudes ready to roll?" Nellie asked, having been shown by Alistair some of the car's more advanced features. Without waiting for an answer, she peeled away from the parking lot, the engine making a subtle yet noticeable _clang, clang, POOT! _noise. Dan figured (and hoped) that it was just part of the car's cover as a piece of junk.

_Great, _Dan thought. _We're trying not to draw the Vespers' attention while driving a high-tech piece of trash that sounds like a waterlogged kazoo. Or Amy playing a waterlogged kazoo. Whichever sounds worse._

_...  
_

As the unlikely group of six turned onto the highway to Paris, little did they know there were three pairs of eyes focused on them. In a sleek black sports car, outfitted with the latest in Vesper stolen technology, was a woman and two men, all of them looking through Ekat-designed high-powered binoculars at the white van.

"Madam, it's Cahills. Should we eliminate them?" one of the men asked in a soft Yorkshire accent. He was dressed casually, in a blue polo shirt and khaki shorts. Those fools they were spying on weren't the only ones who knew how to blend in.

The woman shook her head. "Patience, gentlemen. Remember... all good things to those who wait." She smiled. "This is only the beginning. And besides..." her smile widened, making her look like the Cheshire Cat after finding a particularly plump mouse, "I've got something much, much worse in store for them."

The two men behind her shivered; the very thought of what she might do to them made them feel suddenly very, very cold.

...

"Alright, let's review: We sneak into Foucan's office, create the diversion, and then swim to shore." Natalie went over her plan. Zai closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"First off, _Ms. _Kabra, do you even _have_ this 'diversion' planned out in your head?" Zai asked. "Secondly, do you even _know _where Foucan's office is? Third of all, did you forget that this place is crawling with bloodthirsty Vespers? And fourth of all, _are you on crazy pills?_" Zai shook his head briefly. "Don't answer, it's rhetorical."

"Well do you have a better idea?" Natalie challenged. Why was Zai so prickly?

"As a matter of fact, I do. Let's go."

They grabbed a few things from that they might need: Zai snatched a candle and a box of matches; Natalie stuffed one of her vials into the pocket of the baggy pants she was wearing.

They cracked open the door to Zai's room.

"It's clear." Zai and Natalie stepped into the corridor and crept down the narrow space carefully, keeping close to the wall to the floor wouldn't creak.

"So, what is this_ amazing_ plan of yours?" Natalie asked as they reached the first turn.

"I never said it was _amazing._" Zai retorted. "It's just meant to give us a chance of survival. And could you please keep quiet? It just so happens that I don't want the Vesper's to know what we're doing."

Natalie huffed, but didn't say anything. After making their way around several turns, ducking into storage rooms and cabins to dodge crew members. After a few minutes, they reached the "Captain's" office. Both were surprised that it was not locked, or even closed.

"Strange." muttered Natalie. After exchanging a cautious glance with Zai, she pushed the door open slowly. The room was empty. It was about ten feet by ten feet, the walls painted a drab gray color, with a large desk and swivel chair taking up one end of the room. The desk was completely bare, save for a black, spherical pen holder. The walls were covered in various maps and charts, with lines crisscrossing the oceans every which way.

"Okay, what now?" Natalie whispered in an exaggeratedly loud voice

"Before we sneak off, we need to search his office. Just look for something that might be useful, like where we should go after we escape, hopefully. Just hurry, we only have a few minutes before they find out we're missing."

Zai and Natalie searched the sparse room. They opened drawers on the desk, but found nothing. Zai sighed in frustration. The Vespers were probably looking for them right now.

_Come on, come on! _He looked frantically around the room. What looked out of place?

_The pen holder!_

It was too modern, too sleek for a room this drab-looking. He tapped on the base. Nothing happened. Natalie watched with rising alarm as he tried, panicked, to get something to happen. Then, his fingers brushed against the pen itself. The pen, which was really a lever, clicked back. The result was astounding. As Natalie and Zai watched with widened eyes, the boring gray wall whirred to life and slid back, revealing another wall behind it: Black, with a large, dark red 'V' painted across it, covered with flat-screen monitors, each showing a different location: _Quito, __Brasilia, Montevideo, Panama City, Minneapolis, Vancouver, Copenhagen, Tallinn, Athens, Antananarivo, Windhoek, Alexandria, Damascus, Namche Bazaar, Hanoi, Auckland, Perth, Port Morseby._The dark mahogany of the desk also flickered, turning into a holographic, map of the entire world, complete with raised areas for mountains and high elevations. There were several blinking red lights across the continents, some blinking faster than others. Zai looked over the map. None of the locations with blinking lights meant anything to him, except...

_Namche Bazaar! That's where we flew into when we went to the Himalayas...and we were caught in that avalanche...and that's one of the destinations on the screens. And it doesn't fit in with all the other big cities around on there._

"Zai!" Natalie's urgent voice interrupted his thoughts. "We need to leave!"

"Wait!" Zai knew that the Vespers were probably looking for them, but this was probably the last place they'd look. And he needed to check this out. He hurried to the wall and scanned the screens.

_There!_

The screen labeled 'Namche Bazaar' depicted a snowy mountain, broadcast to the Vesper stonghold via satellite. Vesper guards in pure white armor were standing in front of a huge boulder, which Zai and Natalie assumed to be a hidden door.

"They wouldn't be standing there if it were a normal stronghold." Natalie whispered. "They're..._ guarding_ something."

"Or some_one_." Zai finished. He turned toward Natalie. "I think we know where we need to go."

"Right." Natalie affirmed. "It's the most likely place that they're holding Mr. Cahill, and it's the most likely place we'd meet up with the others."

"Good. Now we have to get out of here." Zai grabbed the chair and lifted it up. It was heavy, and his muscles strained with the effort. Natalie rushed to help him, and together, they dropped it onto the desk. The glass holographic projector shattered, putting the image out. The results were immediate: Loud alarms started blaring, and red lights flooded their vision. Smoke filled the room, causing them both to gag and choke. And the Vespers would find them within seconds.

"Out! Now!" Zai yelled. But before they could reach the door, a panel on the wall slid back, revealing the cold water below. A slide inflated and tipped toward the water, exactly like the kind of commercial airliners. Natalie and Zai looked at each other, then at the slide. Without a word, they slipped through the platform and hopped onto the slide. At that instant, Vespers burst into the room, still dressed as freighter ship crew members. As soon as they reached the bottom, it detached from the side of the ship.

"Look out!" Natalie screamed. They ducked as rounds of machine gun fire slammed into the raft. But as Zai and Natalie waited for the raft (and them) to be torn to shreds, the bullets just bounced off.

_Of course not,_ Natalie thought. _A regular inflatable raft is far to low-tech for Vespers in the twenty-first century._

"Is there any way to steer this thing?" Zai asked. The rounds of fire were pushing them further away from the ship, and the last thing either of them wanted was to be pushed further out to sea.

"I think there is!" Natalie replied. Swiveling his head, Zai noticed a set of controls at the end of the raft: a steering stick, gas pedal, and a break. Zai grimaced and locked eyes with Natalie. How hard could it be?

**_Sorry it took so long to come up with this. Hope you like it, and hope you're excited to see what comes next._**


	30. Hot Pursuit

"AAAHH!"

Natalie Kabra shrieked as the smaller-than-reassuring-yet-surprisingly-resilient life raft sped away from the fake Vesper freighter. She wasn't distressed because they were horribly exposed, or because they were being shot at, but because she'd just made a horrible discovery:

She had a split-end. She thought they were only figments of horror stories.

She quickly tucked it behind her ear, hoping it would be less noticeable until she could get someone to fix it. Now that she'd found a temporary solution to that dilemma, she could shift her focus to more pressing matters.

"Natalie. Do I even need to say anything?" Zai yelled to her from the front of the raft. Natalie's ears felt hot. So he'd noticed. She made her way to the front of the raft to help him turn it back toward shore. At the moment, they were headed toward the open sea, and that was one of the last things either of them wanted. But with both of them pulling on the surprisingly heavy steering stick, they managed to turn the raft in a wide arc back toward the shore.

"What century was this raft made in?" Natalie asked as they righted their course. "The control stick looks like something out of a Charles Dickens novel."

Zai didn't answer. Natalie was starting to irritate him a little. A split-end? She obviously didn't fully comprehend what they were headed into: A wild goose chase to the other side of the world to rescue a couple of distant cousins' uncle and meet up with her brother. And on top of that, why was he involved again? He'd only known these crazy people for less than a week. He just hoped that everyone was still under the impression that he was on this crazy quest with them from the goodness of his heart. _Sorry, Amy and Dan, but that is NOT how it works in our world._

...

"Are we there yet?" Dan whined from the backseat. Almost two hours on the road with no salty snacks had made him even more annoying that usual, and everyone else was feeling stressed and bothered.

"No, Dan, we're not there yet. Can't you just try and fall asleep?" Amy grumbled. Dan huffed.

"Of course not. I have jet-lag. That's why I NEED food." He explained. Nellie eyed him through the rear-view mirror.

"Know what, kiddo? I'm kinda hungry myself. Whaddaya say we stop at the next gas station?"

"Now you're talking!" Dan exclaimed. Everyone else in the car was too weary to argue. Nellie looked on the GPS for the nearest rest stop. When she looked up again, she noticed something puzzling in the rear-view mirror: A sleek silver sedan had moved into the lane behind them. Normally, Nellie wouldn't pay any attention to this, but everyone was being extra alert. She did a double take. The car looked very normal, save for one small detail: The car had no apparent sign of a maker: Not BMW, or Jaguar, or Mercedes. Nellie discreetly tapped Alistair and nodded toward the mirror. He looked at her, puzzled for a moment, before he realized what she was talking about. He held a finger to his lips, signalling her to keep quiet. Nellie nodded and switched lanes. The silver car stayed where it was, but increased it's speed. Nellie couldn't tell what the driver looked like, for the windows of his-her car were an opaque red. Nellie pushed slightly harder on the pedal. The rest station presently came into view as they rounded a bend in the road. Nellie pulled the car into it. Dan immediately jumped up.

"Finally." he grumbled. Before anyone could stop him, he jumped out of the car and charged up to the store. The fake-rusty door slammed as he thew it closed behind him.

"Does he even have any Euros?" Amy muttered. Her question was met with silence. That was the way things seemed seemed to be since Zai's and Natalie's death. The change on Ian was especially noticeable. His eyes were dark and bleak, his features pale and hollow-looking. Even his hair had lost it's unnatural shine. Amy felt sorry for him, because she could relate to him. She knew exactly what he felt.

_But it's even worse for him, _she thought. _A mother in prison, a father who is presumably dead, and now, he just lost the last person in his family. At least Dan and I still have each other._

Ian glanced over at her, if she could read her thoughts. She offered him a small smile. He looked away without acknowledging her. She turned back to look out the window-and noticed a car pull into the station next to them. It was a silver sedan, and-she noticed-no maker logo. She tried to get a glimpse through the window, but they were all tinted blood-red.

"N-N-Nellie?" she stammered, "Look at the car next to ours."

"Oh my GODDESS!" Nellie shrieked, "That car's still following us! We gotta peel, peoples!"

"WAIT! Dan's still inside!" Amy screamed. Nellie slammed her palm down on the wheel and swore.

"We can't go inside! We'll be totally exposed!"

"But we can't leave him!"

"Well just wait for him." Matt cut in. "We'll be safe in here, and Dan will come out in a few moments. We'll just have to sit tight until he does."

The seconds seemed like hours as they waited. The car sat next to them, like a silver and red viper, waiting to strike. It almost seemed alive.

_Come on, Dan!_

_..._

"We're almost at the docks! On my count, jump out!"

"Okay! But how do we slow down?"

"What?"

"I said, HOW DO WE SLOW DOWN ONCE WE REACH THE DOCKS?"

"UM..." Natalie hadn't thought of that. They were about thirty yards from an isolated-looking loading dock, with a run-down warehouse presiding over it. Empty. The perfect place to come ashore.

That is, if they made it ashore alive. Going at about eighty knots, they would surely be killed in a horrible way upon impact with the loading dock. Zai hadn't died yet, and he still didn't know if he wanted to die now or not. Deep inside, he wasn't sure what he was still fighting for. What more could he possibly lose? Even revenge wouldn't change what had already happened, and that was all he had left to cling to. That, and the fact that he couldn't fail Natalie. He had become obsessed with making sure nobody died when he could've stopped it since his family had all left him.

_Alright, I'll fight again. For Natalie._

He looked up. They were only about fifteen yards. No chance of trying to slow down. He would've grabbed Natalie's arm and jumped over the side, but she had already thrown herself in the water. With a calm expression, Zai flung himself over the edge of the raft, seconds before it crashed into the docks.

_BOOOOOOOM! _The explosion turned the water amber, and debris rained down all around Zai as he kicked to the top. Natalie was about three yards away, kicking toward him.

_There, I lived. Happy?_

_..._

Amy felt like the tension building up inside her was enough to make her explode. Was Dan taking a long time on purpose?

Presently, Dan appeared outside the store. He began waving wild at them.

"I think Dan's seen them!" Amy exclaimed. "He's scared to walk out in the open to the car."

"He'll have to make a break for it." Alistair whispered. He rolled down his window and discreetly nodded toward the Vesper car. Dan didn't seem to get the message.

"_HEY, NELLIE! CAN I HAVE A FEW MORE EUROS? I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TO GET BOTH THE PIZZA CRACKERS _AND_ THE BACON CHIPS!"_

Amy's mouth dropped in horror. Was Dan trying to get them killed on purpose? The Vesper car's engine revved.

"That moron is trying to destroy us." Elias said, his voice laced with disbelief.

"DAN! _VESPERS!"_ Amy and Matt screamed at the top of their lungs. Dan instantly understood. He started sprinting toward the van. The Vesper car slowly started to move.

"HURRY!" Amy shrieked. She threw the door open. Dan hurtled across the pavement and threw himself into the car, landing on top of Ian. Ian didn't seem to notice. Nellie immediately slammed her foot down on the pedal, causing the van to squeal out of the station, with the Vesper car close behind.

"They're right behind us!" Dan shouted. Nellie flipped on the turbo engines, and the van jumped forward. But the car in pursuit increased it's speed and glided up beside them.

"What defenses does this heap of fake junk have?" Nellie asked frantically. Alistair leaned over and pressed his hand on the horn. A panel on the steering wheel slid back, revealing a small screen similar to the one in the Vesper Hummer in Hong Kong.

Nellie stabbed her finger down on the 'Smoke Screen' icon. Vents in the side of the car immediately opened up, and a thick, purple smoke spewed out, obscuring the occupant's view. But before Nellie could complain, the steering wheel showed a radar screen, with the Vesper car next to them a pulsing red blip.

"Sweet. But it's not gonna last very long." Nellie muttered. She revved up the turbo boosters, increasing the van's speed to 125 mph. But the red blip stayed level with them.

"What's Plan B?" Elias asked. He was keeping an eye on the screen for other cars on the road, but they were the only two cars on the freeway. He figured that the Vespers had probably blocked the freeway from Calais to Paris.

"We'll need to activate some REAL weapons." Matt said. "But choose quickly."

"Nellie!" Amy shouted. She pointed out the window. The smoke was dissipating, and the Vesper car was coming back into view.

"Oh, poo." Nellie groaned. She quickly scrolled through the other options on the car's defense menu.

"Nellie..." Dan whined. The Vesper car's window had rolled down slightly, and a black muzzle was poking out of it.

"Hang on!" Nellie yelled. Without further warning, she slammed her foot down on the breaks. The Vespers shot in front of them. Nellie then wrenched the steering wheel, so that they were directly behind the Vespers.

"Wait, which one do I press?" Nellie scanned the options in front of her. "Which one..."

"Here, let me." Matt leaned forward.

"Matt, wait-" Nellie exclaimed, but it was too late. Matt had selected one of the defenses. The headlights of the van folded back and two small metal slugs with barbed ends shot out, connected to the van by strong, flexible cables.

"Matt! What did you do?" Amy asked, her voice quavering.

"Watch." Matt grinned. The metal slugs embedded themselves in the rear of the silver car. An instant later, there was a loud buzzing sound.

"Here it comes!" Matt said gleefully. The words had barely left his mouth a loud '_POP!_' rang through the air. A shower of sparks erupted out of the Vesper car, followed by a cloud of smoke. The silver car veered off the road into the bushes.

"Those cables connected to those slugs are carrying 200,000,000 volts of electricity." Matt told them, watching the smoking car. "Because the Vespers only use stolen technology to make their cars, this is one of the most effective ways to stop them."

"But...the people inside..." Amy stammered, "Are they..."

"They're fine." Matt said with a flick of his hand. "The metal exterior of the car directs the electric charge into the ground. But the car's ruined, though."

Everybody relaxed slightly at his explanation, except Alistair, who already knew everything about the van.

"Well, at least they're alright." Dan said quietly. Matt smiled to himself and deftly slipped a hand into his pocket.

_Not for much longer._

...

Elizabeth twirled a strand of hair around her finger. This stage in the operation was infuriatingly boring, yet extremely delicate.

"Madam!" one of her lackeys blurted. "We've received the signal."

Elizabeth jumped to her feet. "Well, get to it, you imbecile! Are you telling me that you're so stupid you can't even follow a simple command without my instruction every step of the way?"

"Yes, Madam! I-I mean, no, Madam! Initiating detonation!"

Elizabeth sat back and closed her eyes. Why couldn't people just be more like her?

...

Matt tapped another icon on the screen. The electric cables disconnected from the front of the van and fell to the street, looking like tentacles of some electric squid.

"Now let's get moving before they get out." Amy said. Nellie started up the van again. They were just passing the ruined Vesper car when-

_'BOOOOOOM!' _The car erupted in a gargantuan explosion, blasting the van end-over-end across the freeway.

"_AAAAAAAAAAH!"_ Everybody screamed as they were tossed around in the car-for a second time.

The car stopped tumbling a good thirty feet off the freeway. Amazingly, the van was virtually unscathed.

Everyone was silent for a moment. Amy and Ian were shaking uncontrollably. Alistair was moaning, and Nellie was a streaky mess of mascara, red eye shadow, and blue eye liner. Matt looked like he was about to puke, and Elias was holding his snapped sunglasses together.

"The Vespers remotely detonated the car." Matt said after what seemed like an eternity. "There must not be anyone inside, after all."

Nobody answered. Nellie reached out, turned up the radio to some French punk group, and tore off back to the freeway, the van _poot, poot, CLANG_ing as if nothing had happened.

...

Natalie pulled herself up out of the water onto a hole-ridden wooden dock, blinking the water out of her eyes. Zai clambered up after her.

"Finally," she panted, "We crossed the channel."

Zai wrung out his sailor's jacket and shook out his hair.

"I never want to see that accursed body of water again." he muttered. Natalie lifted her foot up and inspected her soggy, ratty sneakers. She reached out and grabbed Zai's arm.

"What are you doing?" he asked as she dragged him away, leaving wet footprints on the deserted wharf.

"Isn't it obvious? Look at me!" she gestured to her unflattering clothes. "We're going clothes shopping."


	31. Capers of the Undead

"Dan. Don't even ask." Amy said sharply, raising her voice above _La Vanille Os_ 's newest hit single blaring out of the car's built in stereo system, "Because I will not answer."

"But this is taking _forever_!" Dan whined back, also raising his voice, now that Nellie had begun screeching out the lyrics in French in tune with the song.

"Just be quiet. We're only forty-five minutes from Paris, and-" Amy stopped mid-sentence and Dan grinned mischievously at her.

"Told me."

Amy scowled, and the rickety-looking van approached the City of Lights. Meanwhile, the two presumably dead teenagers were having their own trials.

...

The two dead teenagers in question walked up to a large shopping center in central Cherbourg, trying to remain inconspicuous. Natalie had insisted upon it after pointing out the clothes they were wearing.

"We look like refugees." she had told Zai, who thought that was a terrible comparison. "We HAVE to get new clothes. How can I go up against bloodthirsty Vespers when I feel like a peasant fisherman?"

In the end, Zai had grudgingly agreed that their attire was not the best for any upcoming situations, not the mention that the clothes they were wearing were given to them by Vespers, which would only make it easier for them.

"But," he had told Natalie firmly, "You have to agree on something: I won't make any unnecessary or insulting comments on your clothes if you don't on mine."

"Deal." Natalie agreed, a little confused. What Zai _didn't_ tell her was that his mother had given him lessons on how to dress starting when he was four, and she had only one rule: _Wear whatever makes you comfortable, as long as it's appropriate for the occasion._ Zai's mother had never taught her children to follow rules passed by society, because Cahills rarely follow rules, anyway. So Zai and his siblings had grown up in their secluded corner of Hawaii, not caring other people had expected them to do. And it worked; deep in the Vesper headquarters, where files on every incident concerning the Vespers were kept, the file on the Kului-Kabalui team stated that they had the highest number of successful missions in the history of modern Cahill rivalry. And three of it's members were under the age of eighteen.

"Here." Natalie handed something to Zai. It was a Visa Black card.

"Natalie..." he started, at once for a loss for words, but she cut him off.

"It's Ian's leftover one, but it still has a good amount of money on it. It should suffice." She pulled out her own card. "We'll meet here in, say, two hours?"

"Natalie..." Zai tried again, but she rushed on.

"And, if you have any money left over, we can buy provisions. I mean, we'll more likely die of Vespers killing us than starvation, but we can never be too prepared, right?"

"Natalie!" Zai interrupted.

"What?" Natalie asked innocently, tilting her head to one side.

"Do you think this is practical? What, if the mall is infested with Vespers? Did you really look at all possible case-scenarios? We are, as I'm quite sure you're aware, fugitives." Zai stated his question coolly, waiting for her reaction.

"I know we are! And I also know that you need to relax. Being over-cautious is nearly as dangerous as being under-cautious!"

Frosty anger flared in Zai's eyes. "Well, pardon me for trying to keep us alive! Because I think you'd be doing a bang-up job on your own. If you hadn't drowned in the English Channel, that is."

"Ugh!" Natalie flung her hands into the air, spun on her heels, and stormed off, ponytail swinging severely. Zai frowned and turned in the opposite direction, slipping the card into his pocket. Why were the Lucians he met always so..._Ugh?_

...

"_We're back home, Baby, home in...PARIIIIIIIIIIIS!" _Nellie screeched along with _Pingouins en Plastiqu _'s Paris-famous _Back in Paris, Baby._

"Ironically, we are currently entering the Paris city limits." Alistair mused to himself. Amy and Dan were both asleep, Matt and Elias were consulting a holographic map of the Himalayas, and Ian was staring bleakly out of the window.

"Paris is a Lucian stronghold." Ian said quietly. Everyone turned, startled. This was the first time Ian spoke since they left Calais.

"We were already planning to meet some of my contacts; do you have another plan in mind?" Elias asked, a little miffed that Ian might be trying to take charge of the situation. After the incident a few years ago, Elias had an obsessive need to prove himself useful.

"No, no, your contacts are perfectly reliable. It just...feels nice to be safe. Ian ran a hand through his hair. "We'll have to stop by the Lucian stronghold here and..."

Everybody else nodded gravely. Nellie turned the wheel, sending up a shower of sparks as the rear fender grated against the street.

...

Zai set his purchase on the cashier's counter.

"Did you find everything you were looking for, _monsieur?_" The smiling cashier asked, swiping Zai's card.

"_Oui_, _madamoiselle._" Zai nodded, scowling, and swept a raven lock out of his eye. He accepted his bag and left quickly, casting a cautionary glance over his shoulder as he hurried out. This was the purchase he was most worried about; it wasn't hard to guess what a renegade Cahill operative was buying a kitchen supply store. Suffice it to say that Zai was perfectly comfortable hurling stainless-steel carving knives with deadly accuracy at irritating Vespers (or he liked to think so, despite the fact that his aim was always just a little high). Next stop: His clothes. Zai looked around one more time and slipped off.

...

Natalie Kabra was disgusted. While Paris was one of the fashion capitols of the world, Cherbourg was definitely lacking in the style department. Didn't it occur to anyone that a desperate fashionista on the run from brutish killers might only find solace in her clothing? Was it so hard to simply build a Harrods? Natalie's department-store-bought jeans and sweater did not meet her expectations. She turned and stormed out of the store, flicking her hair over her shoulder in annoyance in case the manager happened to be looking.

After an hour of getting a manicure, pedicure, and fixing her split-end, Natalie decided to give clothes another shot. She rode an escalator to the top floor and began hunting for stores. Pushing through throngs of shoppers, she saw, in front of her, shining as if it were pure gold, her savior: A Chanel boutique.

Natalie pushed open the doors of her sixth favorite clothing line botique, breathing in the familiar smell of good clothes. Ian had insisted that the smell was just in her head, but, Natalie had argued, who was the expert?

After collecting several items (jackets, shoes, purses, leggings, a pair of sunglasses, trousers, etc), Natalie brought her purchases to the front counter. The woman behind the counter smiled pleasantly at her as she rung up her selections. She didn't say a word, which was unusual. Natalie glanced around the store. She noticed that she was the only person inside. This was also strange; Natalie usually saw many shoppers in the same store she shopped in, sometimes reporters asking her about her mother. But this boutique was dead. She turned back to the cashier. She was still Natalie's shoes, which was the first item she'd picked up. Natalie looked at the woman's name tag : Veronica Espergale.

At that moment, everything clicked in Natalie's head. _There is no Chanel boutique in Cherbourg. Which means this is a trap. Which means..._

Natalie snatched her items off the counter. The woman's eyes glittered behind her glasses.

"So you figured it out, Cahill?" she sneered in an accent that was not at all French, reaching up to her hairline. Natalie watched in shock as she removed her black wig and latex face mask, revealing the blond, striking features of one of the most feared Vespers to the Lucian circles: Cheyenne Wyoming.

...

Nellie parked the hideous van outside the Lucian stronghold in Paris, finally grinding the vehicle to a stop.

"Ready?" she asked the car's passengers. Dan exchanged a glance with Amy. The last time they had been here, they were _not _welcome.

"Don't worry." Ian reassured them. "As long as they see me, you'll be fine."

"We'll split up." Matt told them. "Elias, Alistair, and I will plan our next trip, and you guys go and speak with the Board."

"Right." Nellie nodded as she strode up to the main gates. She stabbed her finger down on the red button on the post.

_Identification, please. _A monotonous voice requested. Ian placed his eye in front of the iris scanner. A moment later, the gate buzzed open.

_Welcome, Ian Kabra._

Ian led them up to a set of magnificent double doors. Matt reached out and opened them, holding them for everyone. Inside, Lucian agents bustled around in the foyer.

"We'll meet back here in half an hour." Ian said quietly to Matt. He turned toward a grand marble stairway. Some of the Lucians saw the forlorn expression on his face and began muttering. Ian, being the leader of the Lucian branch, ignored them. He turned to the Cahills and Nellie. "Let's go."

...

Natalie turned and fled the store, still clutching her items close to her chest. Wyoming jumped over the counter and made a grab for her hair, but Natalie ducked out of the doorway.

"Get back here, brat!" she yelled, lunging for Natalie. Natalie darted behind a gaggle of shoppers toting bags, risking a glance behind her. Cheyenne had pulled her phone, on which she then tapped a command into the screen. Immediately, an announcement blared over the P.A system.

Attention ! Il y a une menace à la sécurité du centre commercial. Tous les acheteurs se coucher sur le sol et couvrent vos chefs avec vos mains.

Instantly, there was a panic. Shoppers started screaming and dove to the floor, covering their heads with their hands, their bags, and even each other in fear of a bomb threat. Natalie dropped to the ground in an attempt not to be spotted, but she knew Cheyenne had given herself the upper hand.

_If I stay like this, I'll be totally vulnerable when she picks me out. But if I run, I'll be exposed._

Before she could decide what to do, Cheyenne spotted her.

"Don't move, Cahill." Cheyenne slipped a black knife out of her pocket. At that moment, Natalie sprang to her feet, flinging a clothes-filled bag from the nearest shopper. Clothing flew through the air, distracting Cheyenne momentarily, and Natalie used the second of diversion to jump into an open elevator. She hit 'ground' and the elevator started to descend, at seeming one inch per hour. Natalie realized that she had made a dire mistake; Cheyenne could wait at the bottom of the elevator shaft for her. The door opened, and Natalie was relatively relieved to see that Cheyenne was just leaping down the last few steps, her feet tangled in prone mall-goers. Natalie tried to spring for the exit, but she heard a '_hisssss'_ as Cheyenne sent a knife spinning through the air toward her. Natalie tried ducking, but she knew she wouldn't make it. But, just milliseconds before the knife made contact, there was a loud '_PING!_'. Natalie looked up and saw the black knife lying on the ground, and, about a foot away, a stainless-steel carving knife. There was also a lock of black hair lying next to her: _her _hair.

"Natalie! Here!" Zai shouted to Natalie from across the floor. She got to her feet and saw Cheyenne already cocking her wrist, ready to flick another knife, this one at Zai.

_Now it's my turn to save someone. _Natalie snatched up Cheyenne's discarded black knife and hurled it at Cheyenne as hard as she could. It wobbled haphazardly through the air, but before Cheyenne could react, it sliced past her ankle, ripping the fabric of her jeans and spilling blood on the marble floor.

"AAAUGH!" Cheyenne let out a strangled scream and dropped to the floor, clutching her blood-soaked leg. Natalie reached Zai and they ran toward the exit, ignoring Cheyenne's _'I'll get you, Cahill fools!_'. Zai pushed open the doors and they stumbled out into the open air. Zai grabbed Natalie's arm and dragged her behind a few bushes in front of the mall.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

He nodded, brushing her query aside. "I heard the security threat announcement, and I knew something was wrong. Good thing I bought those knives. Cheyenne's a nasty one."

Natalie was waiting for him to thank her for saving him, but in Zai's mind, he didn't need to thank her; she was just repaying her debt. And she stilled owed him one.

"Well, I see you got your clothes." He continued. Natalie noticed that she was still clutching her Chanel bags. It must be a Kabra instinct.

"On the subject of clothes, what are _you_ wearing?" she asked, nodding to his strange attire: A gray suit with a black tie, and a black hooded trench coat reaching his ankles draped over his shoulders. He certainly didn't look fourteen or fifteen. He looked like a serial killer in a teenager's body. Zai shrugged.

" I made it. We have a long way to go, and I think this is appropriate for the occasion."

...

_In the Vesper Stronghold..._

Elizabeth Kabra sipped her tea delicately. Things were going well. Her agents performing their tasks moderately well, but Cheyenne's knife accident was a little messy.

"Madame?" a sniveling underline approached her nervously. "We have the Cahills on track. Have you selected a means of their destruction yet?"

"Oh, yes." Elizabeth smiled. This was the best part; leading these unassuming fools straight into her trap. Her smile widened with her pleasure and she thought about what she was about to do. This would be delicious. She turned to the underling. "Deploy...the Z_14 Raven."_

**_Sorry that took so long to complete. In case you were wondering, La Vanille Os means The Vanilla Bones, and _****Pingouins en Plastiqu _means _Plastic Penguins.**


	32. NOTICE

Attention, Respected Readers

I've realized that many of my chapters contain spelling and grammatical mistakes. I tried to fix them, but I finally discovered the problem: Proofreading, or lack thereof. So I will now be trying my best to proof-read every chapter that I write before submission. I hope you have a more pleasant reading experience.

-Z.H.C


	33. Moving On

**_Hello, readers. In case you didn't read the last chapter, there was a new development (Z-14 Raven) that I put into the story, so you might want to read that before you read this one. Enjoy the chapter_**

"_Pardon_? Madame Kabra is, you say, dead?" A woman in a dark suit wearing spectacles and the tightest of buns blinked at Ian and Amy, her red lips pursed in confusion. She had led them to her private office, marked 'M. Dabria', when they had arrived at the Lucian stronghold, and now stood in front of the door, towering over the visitors in her heels. She had told them nothing at this point: not her position, first name, or even what she planned to do.

"...Yes, we believe so." Ian replied heavily, swallowing as the words came out. Amy noticed how well he was suppressing his emotions. Her own cheeks were damp from tears, and this was just a girl who she never really liked and a boy she had known for less than a week. Nellie had her arm around her shoulders, and Dan was using the restroom. Alistair was...somewhere. "She was lost in the English Channel when our plane went down during our escape after our estate was attacked."

"What was the approximate time of death?" M. Dabria asked, taking a seat behind her desk. Her immaculately manicured burgundy fingernails were instantly poised over her keyboard.

"Roughly around forty-eight h-hours ago, or so we th-think. If they didn't...die upon impact, then they would've succumbed to hypothermia..." Ian trailed off, and immediately realized his mistake. But M. Dabria was quick as a serpent.

"_They?_" she asked, her fingers dancing across the keyboard. "She was with somebody else?" She turned toward Ian and Amy and Nellie, her dark eyes boring into each of them in turn.

Ian shot Amy and Nellie a glance. It was no use lying. As good he was at it, Lucians were expert lie detectors. And, even if she failed to detect the truth, her perfume bottle sitting on the desk was an ideal and likely place to store truth serum.

"Yes, a...Madrigal." Ian replied, raising his eyebrows at Amy and Nellie when M. Dabria turned back. Nellie shrugged. She had never thought about it much, but Zai had never mentioned what branch he was from. And, judging from his range of skills, it could've been any one of them. But because he had been living at the Madrigal headquarters, it was a safe bet.

"Very well." M. Dabria stood, tapping 'enter' on her computer. Amy guessed she was sending a message to the Madrigal leaders, one of whom was-unknown to her-in Vesper custody, and the other hospitalised.

_Uncle Fiske..._

M. Dabria stepped back around her desk.

"I've informed Mr. Cahill and Mr. McIntyre about the incident." she said, her clipped tone unwavering. She looked at Ian. "Please accept my condolences. Your sister was a fine young woman. The Lucians will grieve her for decades to come."

"Thank you." Ian choked. M. Dabria nodded. Amy wondered if the woman was capable of feelings, let alone sympathy. Having nothing more to say, M. Dabria gave a brusque nod and turned back to her computer. Amy, Ian, and Nellie turned and walked out of the room, and into the next phase of their journey.

...

Dan stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, rubbing water over his face. He inspected his reflection, shocked at how much he had changed in the last week. He looked...hollow. Gaunt, even. When he had been taken by the Vespers, he had been bundled into a plane and handcuffed, despite his cries and pleas. They didn't tell his where he was going, but he didn't care. But, when the plane arrived, he heard a snippet of conversation between the pilot and the control tower, and, with his limited knowledge, identified as a variation of Chinese. Mandarin or Cantonese, he had no idea. But it was a start. But when he had heard the word '_Hong Kong', _he relaxed slightly. After that, it was easy. He had asked where he was being taken, and they told him, point-blank. He knew, now, that the Vespers _ wanted _Amy and the rest to find them.

_Probably so they can take us out all at the same time._

They had almost succeeded twice, in Hong Kong and in England. But now, they were separated again.

_But not for long. They drew us together with bait-me-and they still have leverage over us. _

Eventually, they would meet up again, and that's when the Vespers would strike.

Dan dried his face and opened the door. Presently, he felt a buzzing in his pocket. Removing his phone, he saw a Facebook message appear on the screen.

_Hey, Dan,_ it read, _my name's Nyla Zaviera, I'm thirteen, and I'm moving to Attleboro from Boston. I LOVE_ _collecting stuff, especially old knives and weapons. Some of your friends told me that you know of some really great places to find stuff in around here. Any suggestions?_

The message was accompanied by the girl's profile picture, which depicted a girl with shiny black hair pulled back and large sunglasses. Dan took a moment to wonder if he should reply.

_The Lucians will know if I send a message in their stronghold, but so what? I'm not revealing Cahill secrets; this has nothing to do with the Clues._

Dan typed a quick reply and hit 'send'. He then wandered off to find Amy and Nellie, thinking he'd just done a nice thing.

...

"Do you smell that?" Natalie wrinkled her nose in disdain while she waited for Zai to reply.

"No." he scowled, inching away from her and huddling deeper under his hood, even though the air _did_ carry the distinct smell of sewage. Or a durian. Whichever was worse. But he was in no mood to be conversing with Natalie at the moment, especially due to the growing throbbing in his head caused by the jostling of the crowded bus they were currently riding. After the run-in with the Vespers at the mall, Zai and Natalie stayed in public areas, and made sure to surround themselves with un-Vesperlike people. Which was very difficult, because Vespers were trained to look un-Vesperlike.

"Where are we going exactly?" Natalie continued. "I don't want to spend the rest of the day riding around this godforsaken town on a reeking bus."

"Really?" Zai replied. He sucked in a slow breath, feeling the cold metal of the remaining three carving knives press against his sides.

_If only I could get my hands on a gun._

At that moment, he saw what was causing the unpleasant smell: A scruffy, middle-aged man standing near the front of the bus was toting a basket of rotting fruit, and the disgusting smell was diffusing through the small area.

"I have to get off this bus." he muttered. As the bus pulled into a stop, he got to his feet and made his way to the door.

"_This _is where we're getting off?" Natalie whined, standing up.

"No, this is where _I'm_ getting off. You're more than welcome to join me, though."

Sighing, Natalie pushed through the crowded bus behind him. Zai smirked in his head.

"Now what?" she asked as they disembarked into a busy square, surrounded by quaint building and pushing throngs of people and a sign above their heads that read: _Aéroport de Cherbourg - Maupertus, _or Cherbourg airport.

"Well, that depends. Do you want to see your brother again or not?" Zai asked. It occurred to him that he was being fairly rude, but he couldn't summon the ability to care. Right now, he was only focused on a few things, and making sure that an annoying Lucian was happy was not one of them.

"Fine. So we go into the airport, find a plane, and get to Poncho Bizarre."

"_Namche Bazaar. _Show it a little respect, it is the place where we'll most likely meet up with the others." _And, the place where I'll most likely find what I originally set out to find..._

...

Elizabeth angrily stabbed a command on her command screen, cursing as she chipped a nail. Instantly, the round, anxious face of her highest-ranking scientist, Prof. Moon, appeared on the display.

"Well?" Elizabeth demanded, glaring at the scientist. "Is it ready?"

"Y-yes, Madame, the...weapon is currently prepared for deployment. We're just awaiting your orders."

"My orders? Here are my orders! Deploy the _Raven_ now, understand? Those Cahills need to be stopped, and I will not let your unfathomable incompetence stand in my way! Send more agents after them!"

"Yes, my apologies Madame. Deployment of the weapon will begin immediately-"

Elizabeth cut the link and sank back into her chair, pinching the bridge of her nose. When this was all over, she was spending a week in her spa in Fiji. The stress of attaining world domination had a way of bringing out frown lines.

...

Later, as Zai and Natalie walked through the Cherbourg airport trying to find a private pilot to take them on the first leg of their trip, a pair of dark, calculating eyes hidden beneath sunglasses and layers of detailed disguise carefully tracked their movements, watching their actions like a hungry snake.

_Come on, Cahills, come to us..._


	34. On Their Way

**_Sorry this took so long to get out, but I am currently in the process of finishing final tests for my first year of high school. Over the summer, I'll hopefully have much more time to write. Enjoy!_**

_Cherbourg = worst city EVER_

Zai had traveled across the globe in his turbulent life. From rural Tibet to crowded Peru, Zai had always found adventure, and he loved _most _of it. But he had never wanted to leave a place as badly as he wanted to leave Cherbourg, France. After wandering around this pathetic airport making inquiries in broken French and trying to understand even more broken English, he and Natalie found out that there were no scheduled flights anywhere. All flights were charter only. In other words, they were back at square one.

_Of all the cities in France, in the world, why did it have to be THIS one? This is absolutely not the way I planned it. _Zai was almost ready to drive to Nepal at this rate. But they had one more shot.

There was only one pilot at the airport-as they were told by a cheerful janitor-named Julian, and he often made trips to Paris, Lyon, and Nice. Zai and Natalie immediately knew that this _Julian_ was their only way out of this miserable place. And that was if he was available. And if he was willing to travel with two unaccompanied minors. And if he wasn't a Vesper.

_Alot of 'ifs' stand between us and getting out of here._ Natalie internally grumbled. _We must find Julian. If he doesnt't accept, I'll have to pay him. If he still doesn't accept, I'll have to poison him. That's what Mum taught me. The three 'P's'. Politeness, Payment, Poison._

"We're getting nowhere." Zai told her quietly. They had been in almost two whole circuits of the entire airport, seeing nobody but the janitor, two lazy desk workers, and an enormous security guard whom Zai was sure was supposed to be a joke.

"Excuse me, can you tell us where to find Julian?" Natalie asked the obese security guard, who was sitting on a chair eating a doughnut near the airport's only restroom.

"Eh?" the man asked, and immediately started choking. Zai sucked in a breath through clenched teeth, imagining how this fat oaf of a security guard would look on the ground with knockout poison coursing through his arteries.

"_Monsieur_ Julian. Could. You. Take. A. Moment. And. Tell. Us. Where. To. Find. Him?" He said through a forced smile, his twitching eyebrow betraying his immense annoyance. The security tried to say something, but he entered another coughing fit and was cut off. Zai was on the verge of incapacitating the man when he finally managed to dislodge the doughnut from his trachea. He took a deep breath and wiped his eyes.

"_Ah_ am _Monsieur_ Julian, young ones." he announced, standing up in a flourish, his knees straining to support his enormous abdomen.

"_You?"_ Natalie asked incredulously. Zai wished he had a tennis ball to stuff in her mouth. How was being rude to the only person that could get them out of here help?

"Yes, _me, madamouiselle._ Great heroes can come in any form." He didn't sound irritated in the least, just slightly bored as he tightened his belt. "Now, what can Julian do for you today?"

"Umm..." Natalie started. Julian broke in, puffy eyes thoughtful.

"You have lost your mummy and daddy, and you have the brains to ask a security guard when you are lost, no?"

"Most definitely not." Zai interrupted sharply, glancing nervously at Natalie. Did they really look enough alike to be confused as siblings? "We need, if you are currently not otherwise engaged, to charter a flight."_  
_

"O-ho! You want to charter a flight with Julian!" Julian smiled, stroking his chin. "Flights are not free, children. Do you have jobs?"

"Don't need one." Natalie answered primly, handing Julian her Visa Black card.

...

"Ian, is this really necessary?" Amy asked, glancing a motorcycle-riding Lucian guard just outside her window.

"Perhaps not, but it seemed prudent." Ian answered. After Ms. Dabria had taken her report, Elias had told them that they were picking up a heavy increase of Vespers in Nepal. They had all agreed it was the most likely place to find Fiske, as well as seek out Elizabeth. Ian had insisted on taking a Lucian escort to the airfield, since the Vespers were probably already monitoring them.

"I'm hungry." Dan announced, putting his phone in his pocket.

"What else is new?" Nellie drawled, slumping against the window of Alistair's van.

"Here." Matt tossed him a bar of dark chocolate. Dan mumbled a quick thanks and shoved it into his mouth, smearing chocolate around his mouth and chin. He was about to another when his phone beeped again.

"Who's messaging you?" Amy asked, noticing that Dan had been looking at his phone frequently since they left the stronghold.

"A friend." he answered, discreetly angling his phone away. On the screen, a picture of Nyla appeared next to a message.

_Thnx, Dan, store was GREAT! When u get back, u should c my collection._

Dan typed a reply, thinking how nice it was to have someone who had the same interests that he did.

...

"How long till we get to Paris?" Natalie shouted over the loud noise of Julian's ancient Cessna propeller plane. "We're on sort of a tight schedule!"

"Well, de old girl sometimes don't feel well, but without engine problems, er..." Julian thought for a moment. "Mebbe two hours!"

"Two HOURS?" Natalie exploded. She turned to Zai, who was pressed against her in the cargo-filled rear of the plane. "I can't sit in here for two hours! I'll surely go deaf!"

"You're welcome to jump out." Zai told her dryly, gesturing to the door on the other side of the plane. "You're _so _good at surviving. Otherwise, I truly don't see any other options."

Natalie turned back, stung. Did Zai really mean what he said? They had saved each others' lives multiple times now; she didn't expect Zai to like her, but could he at least try to be nice.

...

Zai could see that he'd hurt Natalie. He could tell by the way her back was to him, her black hair obscuring her face. He wanted to apologize, sort of, but apologizing would be admitting that he made a mistake. And, based on how things were going, Zai needed to reassure himself that he was doing an excellent job.

_After all, _he reasoned, _how many fourteen-year-old orphans could survive on their own in a foreign country, accompanied by the most annoying girl in the universe, while being pursued by the most bloodthirsty and viscous killers in the world? And how many could manipulate their situations to achieve exactly what they want, all the while doing some poor little Cahill children a favor? I think I'm doing well._

"What's in these boxes?" Zai whispered, drawing Natalie's mind from the tension between them. All around them were stacks of blank cardboard boxes, obscuring the view of the pilot.

"How should I know?" Natalie hissed back. Zai was about to counter with a stinging remark but bit his lip. After all, that was the response _he _would make.

"By looking." he said instead, removing one of his carving knives from his coat. Natalie shivered. He truly looked dangerous at that moment, a swathe of black hair on his forehead and a glinting knife in his hand.

He raised his knife and carefully began carving a small hole in the box, keeping his cut shallow in case there were valuables inside.

"Be careful!" Natalie whispered, her curiosity getting the better of her. Zai was moving painstakingly slowly, even though Julian seemed very preoccupied at the controls.

"Almost..." Zai muttered. He finished his circle and removed his knife, popping out the cut piece of cardboard.

"Too dark." Natalie couldn't see anything in the box. Zai took his phone out of his pocked and switched it on. Wordlessly, he aimed the lighted screen at the hole.

Inside, the box was nearly empty. But Zai could see a dark shape at the bottom; two dark shapes, to be exact.

"There's something..." he reached his hand inside, groping around the bottom for the two objects. When his hand made contact, he nearly gasped. The shapes were both recognizable, terrifying, and exciting.

"What is it?" Natalie mouthed. Zai slowly withdrew his hand. Natalie's eyes went wide when she saw what he held. In his hand were two pistols, each barely five inches long and charcoal grey. They were strange looking; they had no triggers, but a small black hole where the holder's thumb would be.

"Microphones." Natalie said. "Those are microphones. These guns are voice-activated."

Zai could see she was right; and he knew these were too valuable to give up.

"Here." he said, thrusting it into her lap. "You might need this."

"Thank you." Natalie said, meeting his eyes. Zai turned away, annoyed with his impulsive thinking. _I could have kept both for myself. What's better, one person with two guns, or two people each with one gun?_

"Gun!" Julian exclaimed. Zai and Natalie snapped forward, their faces masks of innocence.

"Gun?" Zai asked. If Julian knew they took the guns, they might have to use them on him.

"What? No, gone! The cruise liner, Ah was trying to poin' it out to you and now it's gone!" Julian seemed oblivious to the teens' actions. "Too bad you couldn'ta seen it!"

"Hard to, with all these boxes in the way." Natalie muttered. Not quiet enough, for Julian turned to face her.

"Sorry about that, _madamouiselle_, Ah'm delivering bread to a bakery in Paris."

_Bread? _Zai mouthed to Natalie. She shrugged. Julian was obviously hiding something. Zai and Natalie couldn't get off the plane soon enough.

...

"Review: Where are we going?" Matt asked the group.

"Kathmandu." Dan answered.

"We're having a layover where?" Alistair continued.

"Almaty." Amy replied.

"And our aliases are what?" Nellie prodded.

"Hank McPhearson." Dan said.

"Julie McPhearson." said Amy.

"Jasper Hirl." Elias offered.

"Gregory Kim." Alistair said.

"Riley Asher." Matt told them.

"Madonna Garcia." Nellie finished. She looked at the rest of her traveling companions. "I think we're ready. Let's go, homies and homettes."

They stepped from the jetway onto the plane. Dan looked at his phone one last time, sending a picture of some of his collectors' items before boarding.

...

Nyla Zaviera's phone beeped. She entered her password and looked at the picture Dan Cahill had just sent her, in which, she could see a beautiful, full tang, battle-ready Mushashi replica. She smiled slightly, running a finger along the hilt of her own sword, which was resting, perfectly balanced, on her lap.

_I can't wait to show you how _sharp _mine is, Daniel Cahill._

She allowed herself a short, cynical chuckle before getting up. She had many preparations to make.


	35. Close Behind

_**I hope you liked the last chapter. I got this one up a quickly as possible. A few people asked me about the new character Nyla, and I will just tell you that you will learn what you want to know eventually. Read, re-read, and review!**_

"We'll be landing in ten minutes!" Julian shouted to Zai and Natalie over the sound of the engines, twisting back in his seat. Below them, the night lights of Paris winked at them; a welcome beckoning after their nightmares in Cherbourg.

"Have you got your gun?" Natalie whispered. Zai held it up without looking at her. Natalie pushed his hand down.

"Keep that thing down! What if Julian sees it?"

"I'll shoot him." Zai answered. Natalie bristled.

"Don't say that! Don't say you'll shoot an innocent person! Do you know what it's like to be shot?"

"...Never mind." Zai mumbled. Natalie was obviously shaken by her mother shooting her a year and a half ago. But it wasn't as bad a some things. She didn't know the half of it.

"Have you ever seen someone get shot?" he asked quietly. "With real bullets, not darts." Natalie looked at him in surprise.

"Have you heard their screams as they realize they're going to die?" Zai went one. "The look in their eyes as they know you can't save them-"

"Stop." Natalie told him, her voice wavering. Zai could see she was shaking in her seat. He took a breath.

"Their blood on the ground once they're dead? The numbness, chewing a hole in you from the inside when you see the bodies and realise that they're gone forever? And then, the pain comes, filling the vacuum along with anger and hate? Have you ever felt the pain of losing someone, Natalie?" Zai stopped again. Natalie looked horrified, her gaze fixed straight ahead as she rocked back and forth. Zai continued.

"Have you truly experienced pain, Natalie? I have. Four times in one night. It's the only thing I see when I sleep. And your aunt deserves everything she did to cause me pain." Zai closed his eyes and raised his gun, suppressing the overwhelming memories building up inside his heart. He stole a glance at Natalie. She looked hypnotized; Her eyes wide with fear and horror, her breathing rapid. Zai turned away again and swallowed his rage, hiding behind an emotionless mask that spread into a smirk.

_Oh, I think I'm going to enjoy this._

_..._

_Eilzabeth Vesper-Hollingsworth tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear and yawned. At the moment, the Cahills were all on planes; she needed to wait until they were on the ground to continue with her plan._

_"Coxley! Report!" She orders a scurrying agent. He stopped and bowed._

_"The Madrigals and their group are currently on a reinforced Lucian plane bound for Kazakhstan, Madame." he started, "And the other two children are going to land in Paris in ten minutes. We just received notification form our operative following them."_

_"And how are they doing psychologically?" Elizabeth asked. She was annoyed that this agent hadn't said anything annoying; she liked having reasons to hate people. _

_"The girl is growing stronger, while the boy seems to be breaking down." Coxley informed her. "He has been having fits of anger and ruthlessness, and seems to be merely tolerating the girl. He recently scared her with an account of your extermination of his family four years ago."_

_"Wonderful." Elizabeth mused. "He will certainly be easier to manipulate now. He is, after all, playing right into our hand." She paused. Coxley turned to leave, but Elizabeth snapped her perfectly manicured fingers at him. _Finally, something to be angry at him about.

_"You're not excused until I say so. I'm not done." she said. He nodded, a nervous smile plastered on his lips. Elizabeth decided not to kill him. "How is the Raven coming along?"_

_"Marvelous, Madame. She really is a work of genius; I wish I'd thought it up."_

_"Don't even dream of it; you'll only disappoint yourself. Now be on your way." Elizabeth dismissed him with a flick of her hand. Coxley scampered away, and Elizabeth took a sip of champagne. _Oh, glory.

...

Nyla Zaviera pulled her hair back into a long horsetail and turned on her phone. There were three new messages from Daniel Cahill, showing her pictures of various parts of his collection: swords, knives, daggers, and various other weapons, some authentic and some not. She was surprised by the quality of some of his pieces. But that was beside the point.

She plugged her phone into her laptop, and pulled up his latest message, which was sent three hours ago.

"Perfect." she muttered. She transferred the message to one of her programs. It took the phone number and checked it against cell service providers worldwide. A map view of the world appeared, and within seconds, a detailed trail of everywhere the phone had made a call appeared on the map. Nyla traced the track to it's most recent stop: Paris.

Next, she hacked into the Paris air trafficking records and checked the time of the last message on her phone. 6:43 P.M. She cross-referenced this with flights that had left Paris in the last three hours. There were hundreds of flights, including eight privately chartered flights, which was what she was interested in. Three were to other French cities, so she ruled those out. The other five were headed to Cairo, London, Nicosia, Almaty, and Rio de Janeiro via Rekjavik, Philadelphia, and Panama City. She then accessed the flight information for each plane. Two were Cessna 400s, and one was a Challenger 604. The last one was of unidentified manufacturing; it was privately made. Definitively a Cahill creation. It's destination: Almaty.

_Found you, Daniel Cahill._

_..._

"Thank you for flying with Julian." Julian thanked Zai and Natalie as they disembarked from his plane at Orly International Airport. "May you have a happy day and fly again with Julian sometime in the near future."

"We'll keep you in mind." Zai said curtly. He smiled and nodded to Julian before following Natalie down the steps and being led into the airport.

After passing through security, Natalie and Zai conversed in a corridor near the main entrance.

"We have to go to the Lucian stronghold. They can help us find the others; they're sure to have gone there." Natalie informed her companion. Who disagreed right away.

"The Vespers are definitely going to be looking for us." Zai argued. "It's the first place they'll expect us to go."

"Are you mad?" Natalie seethed. "If we go to the stronghold, we'll be reunited with Ian in no time."

"Fine." Zai snapped. _Stupid stronghold. _ "But don't blame me if we get chased or captured or killed."

"Alright. Now we need to hire a taxi."

"Bad idea." Zai countered. "Need I explain why?"

"Well, do you have any better options?" Natalie shot back. "Unless you want to take a nice, long walk." Zai narrowed his eyes at her, then nodded.

"It always pays to have skills you're really too young to have." he said, and turned toward the car rental counter.

...

_**Review and stay tuned!**_


	36. Getting Closer

_**Here's the latest chapter, ready for reading. Enjoy my creation.**_

Nyla Zaviera twirled her hair impatiently as she listened to the dialing tone of her phone.

_Come on, pick up..._

"Hello?" she spoke into the phone when the other side was answered. "Yes...They're coming to you. They'll be there in about four hours...I don't know, that wasn't on the flight plan...Very well. Contact me with the results." She checked her watch. "I have other matters to attend to."

...

"Soda, anyone?" Dan offered cans of various sodas to the plane's other passengers that he'd found in the plane's bar. When everyone declined, he shrugged, settling down in his seat and started eating his way through a mountain of snacks.

"Ian," Alistair began, "I hope you're fine with this..." he proceeded to unscrew the diamond tip of his cane and withdrew a small, silver USB drive. "But I did a little...research when we were in the stronghold."

"You managed to appropriate Lucian files?" Matt asked incredulously. Alistair smiled.

"When you have been around as long as I have, agents tend to develop a certain..._push_ with Cahill leaders, regardless of their family branch."

"What is it, Alistair?" Ian asked. Dan, who's mouth was full, leaned closer. Alistair slowly turned the drive around, revealing the label on it's side. Ian gasped.

**Kului-Kabalui Agent Files**

"Who are the Kului-Kabaluis?" Amy whispered. Nobody said anything for a moment. Ian's worried gaze flicked from Alistair to Matt and back.

"Why is this a big secret? Who were they?" Amy persisted. In faced her, his features drawn and weary.

"Zai and his family." he informed her quietly. Thinking about it was painful for him, especially because he was a cause of their pain and suffering.

"Zai had a family?" Dan asked. Thinking about Zai with a mother and father and perhaps annoying older sister sitting around a fireplace was sort of an odd notion. Zai seemed more like a stone-cold assassin, born with a knife in his hand and raised surrounded in Cahill secrecy.

Ian cut a sharp glare at him. Amy's brother was always impudent and insensitive.

"Yes, Zai had a family. I know it was hard to believe, but he wasn't always like that. He changed after-" Ian stopped.

"After what?" Amy interrupted. Ian and Matt exchanged a glance.

"Tell us!" Dan urged, excited. Ian took a deep breath.

"Zai's family was killed off five years ago. They'd made...powerful enemies whom they'd posed a threat to."

"Who killed them? Vespers?" Dan asked, his curiosity taking over. "We have to search that drive! It's full of information that could come in useful!"

"Zai's dead." Amy snapped. "What does it matter?"

"Amy's right." Matt agreed. "Besides, what you learn about Zai might not be the best thing to learn now. We should reserve that information until absolutely necessary."

...

"You chose a _Hummer_?" Natalie asked as they slunk through the underground car lot. Why was Zai always making the exact opposite choices she would? Didn't he _know_ how clever she was?

"Yes, I chose a Hummer, Natalie." Zai replied, in that infuriatingly exasperated voice of his. "If my choices do not live up to your astoundingly impractical tastes, they have some lovely 1984 Lada models that I'm sure you would find _ exquisite._"

"Hummers do not exactly exude inconspicuousness." Natalie argued. Did she need to spell everything out for him?

"And you are not exactly exuding intelligence right now." Zai replied, spying the huge orange car, looming over everything around it. Natalie was about to retort indignantly when Zai continued. "The Vespers almost certainly know where we are. What vehicle would you rather be in if we have to run through barriers and drive off bridges, and very likely engage in head-on collisions?"

"And you want me to trust my life to _you_?" Natalie spat. Zai was probably the most infuriating, irritating, annoying, obnoxious, and nerve-grating person she had ever met. And that was saying something, considering she had spent time with the Cahill peasant pair and their disturbing nanny.

"I don't think we really have a choice. If you haven't noticed, I'm also trusting my life to you; although I'm starting to question the decision."

"Well, you're welcome to walk away right now!" Natalie shouted. "I don't even know _why_ you're going all the way to Nepal. It's not like you have a brother who thinks you're dead and no home to return to!"

Zai's eyes frosted over in a cold fury. He twisted his head to look face-to-face with Natalie, his full lips drawn into a thin line.

"I suppose you're right, Natalie Kabra, if you consider a secret underground Madrigal base where my only company are my captors a 'home'. But I am currently on the most important mission of my life." He lowered his voice. "If I manage to turn up with you alive, not only would the branches regain the strength that one of the branch co-leaders would bring them to fight their real enemies, but I could prove to the Madrigals that I am a capable agent, not just some traumatised child who required constant monitoring and is unable to be trusted in the outside world."

Natalie's eyes softened. Zai took a deep breath.

"I also...should keep you alive. It's...the least I can do...after..." Zai trailed off, the sadness in his face showing.

"It's okay." Natalie said softly. Zai clenched his jaw. Natalie climbed into the car beside him. Maybe they'd just misunderstood each other the whole time. If only she'd seen Zai roll his eyes when he pulled the car out of the parking space. And if only she'd known the thought going through his mind: _First step: __earn subject's trust: completed. If only manipulating people didn't involve me feeling like an emotional weakling._

...

_Elizabeth studied the plasma screen in front of her as she touched up her lipstick. The video reel depicted little Natalie and Zai creeping through the underground parking lot at Orly in Paris. She chuckled. _So amusing. They fancy themselves outwitting me.

_Elizabeth knew that the situation was a time bomb, and it was only a matter of time before things exploded. That either meant Zai losing his sanity and turning into a rampaging, revenge-obsessed killer, or her losing control over her weapon. The Z-14 Raven was Elizabeth's creation, her baby. But while it was volatile, Elizabeth knew that sometimes, the biggest risks were accompanied by the biggest gains. She checked her reflection one last time before stepping into her stilettos and sashaying out.  
_

Come to me, dear child.

...


	37. The Hunt

_**Hello, esteemed fans. I've decided to make this chapter longer than the rest, because I noticed that my chapters have been getting kind of shorter recently.**_

"You're sure you know how to drive?" Natalie asked nervously as Zai jerked the Hummer out of the parking lot.

"Oh, please. If I answered 'no', what would you possibly do-AAAH!" Zai and Natalie screamed as he accidentally pressed his foot down on the accelerator instead of the brake.

"You're the most insane person I've ever met, even for a Cahill." Natalie gasped. Zai rolled his eyes again, easing the car into motion.

"What you may see as insanity, I may see as brilliance." Zai told her. "For example, I think you're insane for wearing hoop earrings while on the run from Vespers. Do you want them to get snagged on something? Or is there a hidden brilliance to your choices?"

"I think you're insane for wearing a trench coat." Natalie shot back. "When was the last time you saw a fourteen-year old wearing a trench coat?"

"When was the last time you saw a fourteen-year old driving a Hummer with somebody he should hate?" Zai countered. Natalie sat back in a huff.

"Let's just assume we're both insane." she said.

"Or brilliant." Zai added. "At least I am."

"Shut up." Natalie said, but she was grinning. Zai fixed his sunglasses over his face and turned onto a street, checking the rear-view mirror. The dark streets of Paris were alive with pedestrians and late workers.

"So you've spent alot of time in Paris?" Natalie asked.

"Not hardly." Zai replied, "Or hardly. The last time I was here, I was on a mission to obtain a vial from high-ranking Ekaterina officers."

"Did you succeed?" Natalie asked, anticipating the answer.

"That depends." Zai answered. It occurred to him that Natalie had led him to remember his mother and brother and sister, which would make him more vulnerable. Or, he reflected, she could just be being curious.

"I've been to Paris before, but not as much as you would think." Natalie told him. "Mum always kept me away from the Lucian stronghold here. She said it was too dangerous for a weakling such as myself."

"Well, I suppose you'll have to prove her wrong." Zai said, half-seriously. "Maybe this weakling can take care of itself."

"You think I'm a weakling?" Natalie asked indignantly. Zai flicked his hair.

"Let's see. I saved you in the plane over the Channel, I saved you in the Vesper ship from David, I saved you on the escape lifeboat, and I saved you from being sliced to ribbons by Cheyenne Wyoming." He looked at her. "You tell me."

"You're stretching it." Natalie mumbled, miffed. She thought Zai had changed. _Well, I guess some people never change._

_..._

Nyla Zaviera pulled her braid into the back of her shirt and fitted a wig over her head. She would have to be leaving soon, and she needed to be absolutely ready first.

_My hair is really my best feature, _she contemplated regrettably as she applied fake eyebrows. _I'd display it if I could. _She continued her ensemble with a thin mustache patch and fake sideburns. She put on her padded tuxedo and bow tie, and finished her outfit with a few clouds of _Ungaro iii._

_Ugh..._ She looked at herself in the mirror. _Why do I get the missions that either end up with me covered in blood or turn me into an admittedly attractive but gross and disturbing cross-dresser?_

She swallowed avoice pill and headed for the door, tripping on her leather loafers.

"**Ow**." she muttered, her voice alarmingly deep.

"**Whoa**."she said, listening to the foreign voice boom through the air. "**Highly unusual.**"

She walked out the door, vowing to speak as little as possible that evening.

...

_Elizabeth reclined in the silky leather interior of her limousine, snapping open her comm screen._

_"Are you in position, Waverley?" she asked._

_"In position and waiting, Madame." came the reply. "The children are in an orange Hummer; shouldn't be too hard to spot."_

_"Don't overestimate them." She said. "Remember what your mission is."_

_"Affirmative. I won't fail. Well, I will fail. I will fail in succeeding, or succeed in faili-"_

_Elizabeth turned the comm screen off, then abruptly back on again._

_"And don't forget to deliver the message." she added. Waverley nodded knowingly, and chuckled. Elizabeth scowled and shut off the comm screen again, then plastered a large red smile on her face. She must play the part._

_..._

_"_Why are you wearing sunglasses?" Natalie asked Zai as they drove through the dark Parisian alleys. She had insisted on taking a back route to avoid being seen by the Vespers.

"Because I want to." He answered without taking his eyes off the road.

"That's not answer. What are you hiding?"

"My eyes." Zai replied, still looking straight ahead. "As you might now, I am wanted by the entire Cahill population. If someone recognises me, this mission is over."

Natalie said nothing. They wound through the dark streets, Zai discreetly checking the rear-view mirror every couple hundred meters.

"How far are we from the stronghold?" he asked.

"Um..." Natalie took note of their surroundings. "That's strange. It's taking far longer than it should have. Something's not right."

"_You have arrived_." The GPS device's smooth voice intoned. Natalie stared at it.

"What's wrong with this thing? We're nowhere near the stronghold!" She furrowed her brow."Wait..." she looked the GPS device. "This is the wrong address we're going to! How did that happen?"

"...I guess I must've made a mistake when I entered the address you gave me." Zai said. _I hope we're far enough away._

"It's nothing like the address I gave you! We're in a completely different section of the city!" She narrowed her eyes at Zai. He thought quickly.

"We're in the middle of a dark alley..." he mused. He widened his eyes. "The...Vespers must've planted the GPS device in the car! No matter what address you enter, it would lead you here!"

"You're right!" Natalie gasped. She switched on the light. "The Vesper are going to ambush us! Get out!"

Zai didn't argue, he swallowed his smirk as he floored the gas pedal. Too late, a black-clad figure appeared from the back doorway of an apartment building.

"Zai! Look out!" Natalie yelled. He slammed the brakes down, stopping mere inches from the agent._  
_

"Let's see if you can make this the fifth time." She said. Zai grimaced.

"We'll see."

The Vesper pointed a gun at the windshield.

"_Down!" _Zai screamed. He and Natalie hit the floor as bullets tore through the glass. In an instant, they stopped as abruptly as they had started.

Zai and Natalie stayed pressed against the floor. Natalie's slipped her hand into her pocket and withdrew a small black ball. She then tapped Zai on the shoulder.

_Reverse, _she mouthed to him. He nodded and reached up to the stick to switch the car into reverse, then pushed down on the pedal with his hand. The Hummer jumped backward at the same moment as Natalie launched the black ball, sending it arcing through the air. It landed silently on the ground. Natalie shut her eyes as the ball burst in a small explosion, meant to knock out anyone in a five-foot radius.

"Nice shot." Zai acknowledged. Natalie smiled.

...

_Waverley leaped backward as the car speedily reversed. She looked up and saw a small black ball arcing through the air; she put her hand out and caught it. She then tossed it high into the air above her, where it exploded in a small flash of light. The Hummer started toward her again, and she dropped onto the ground and pretended to moan._

_..._

Natalie and Zai rushed toward the prone figure, sprawled in the alley. Natalie grabbed the agent by the lapel and shook her.

"Who sent you?" she demanded. The agent opened her eyes groggily, and coughed.

"Where is my brother?" she screamed again. "_ANSWER ME!"_

"Your brother has moved on." she chuckled. "He has continued his life without you."

"That's not true!" Natalie shook her head angrily, hears streaming down her cheeks. "He would never do that!" She started sobbing, and Zai actually felt a little sorry for her.

"But he did, little girl. He stopped looking after seventy-two hours, and has continued on with his mission."

"As we are on ours." Zai said. "But to do so, we need Elizabeth. Where is she?"

Waverley did not respond. Natalie slapped her again. Zai reached out and wrapped his hands around her throat, applying slight pressure.

"Where. Is. She?" He asked through a clenched jaw. Waverley coughed again, and (fake) blood spattered her lip.

"Tell me." Zai pressed harder. Waverly's eyes widened.

"Okay...I'll tell...you..."

Zai released the pressure slightly. Waverley coughed and hacked for a moment, then raised her head.

"She is at...the Chez Castel, holding the...Annual Elizabeth Vesper-Hollingsworth & Antoinette...Ball."

"A _ball?" _Natalie asked. Waverley nodded weakly. Zai and Natalie looked at each other.

"Then we are going to that ball." Zai said. "Anything else?"

"Elizabeth...has a message for you." she said. Natalie and Zai leaned closer.

"She says..._Beware our Raven, a weapon that strikes in the darkest of times, on the coldest of hours, in the most striking of places."_

_"Raven_?" Zai echoed. "Tell us more! What is the Raven?" But before he got an answer, Waverley fell back to the ground, eyes rolled back.

"Let's get out of here." Natalie grabbed Zai's arm and they ran back to the car. They climbed in, both shaken by the agent's eerie warning.

"What did she mean by that?" Zai asked. Natalie shrugged.

"Whatever it is, we need to be ready first. To the Chez Castel?"

"To the Chez Castel." Zai agreed. "But we'll need a new car, I think."

"Yes. We will. And now you're only four up on me."

...

Meanwhile, on the ground, Waverley sent a message through her ear-speaker.

"Shadow, this is Waverley. The children are coming. I repeat: The children are coming. Over."

At the Chez Castel, a smoothly-dressed guest turned off the ear-speaker and smiled internally. The Hunt Was on.

...

**_I can't wait to show you what is coming! Read, rate, and review!_**


	38. Party Time

**_Hello, readers. Sorry this took so long. I actually had written this chapter a week ago, then forgot to submit it. I then wrote the next chapter before I realised that I had missed this one. So that's what took so long. This chapter's short just so sum up the idea, since I didn't want to take time to re-do the entire thing. I was also on a road trip that took two weeks. Just saying. Don't kill me._**

Amy jumped up from her chair on the plane. She was just dozing off when she was started awake by something very alarming. She whirled to face Matt.

"I just felt the plane drop! Are we landing? Why are we landing? We can't be there yet!"

"Relax." Matt put down the book he was reading. "We have to make a stop in Almaty for a quick layover."

"Almaty, is in _Kazakhstan?" _Amy exploded. "We can't stop in Kazakhstan! We're wasting time! If we have enough fuel, we should just go all the way!" She drew a deep breath, preparing to continue, but Elias Fuer cut her off.

"I've called in my jet to take us to Nepal, which is much faster than this plane. We'll actually save time this way, even if we stop for a couple hours. Plus, my jet is specifically made for stealth."

"But-"

"It's the best way to do this, Amy." Elias told her firmly. "We want to get Mr. Cahill back, and we have to do a good job."

"Alright." Amy sat back in her seat. Nellie offered her a sympathetic smile.

"Hang in there, Amy. We'll get him."

"We're going to have to." Dan said solemnly, his eyes clouding over. "Or the Madrigals are is serious trouble."

...

Nyla Zaviera walked briskly, mindlessly nudging people out of her way. She had to be at the meeting point in a few moments. And those she worked for did not tolerate failure well.

She smirked to herself. _Not that I've ever failed._ She shifted her shoulders, adjusting the long braid she had under her jacket. _And I'd better finish this quickly, so I can leave here and take off this ridiculous outfit._

_..._

Zai pulled the car up in front of the Chez Castel, glancing out the window at the iconic red-paneled nightclub. There were many cars being parked by valets outside, mostly belonging to Paris' powerful and affluent.

"This is the most absurd thing I've ever had to do." He muttered to himself. It had been years since he had attended a ball such as this one, and it was usually so his mother could drug secrets out of enemy agents. Now, it was _his_ mission. He stepped out of the car, his heels clacking on the pavement. Natalie remained in the car.

_Let's go!_ he mouthed to her. She shook her head impatiently, and gestured toward her door. Zai rolled his eyes and walked around the car, resenting the universe for making him act so..._charming._ He pulled open Natalie's door for her and helped her out of her seat.

"Thank you." She nodded at him. "Now-"

Zai cut her off by offering her his elbow, accompanied by his most gallant smile. She smiled back and linked her arm through his, and they walked side-by-side up to the front door.

...

The Vesper agent assigned to act as doorman scanned his clipboard, and saw that he had just two names left on the guest list, and he was given very clear instructions who they were. He had been told that those were aliases he was supposed to assign the subjects, as they had been expected. He was just wondering who these guests could possibly be when two teenagers approached the door. A boy and a girl, roughly the same age and arm-in-arm, they looked both professional and severe. They boy had a toffee-coloured, angular face, with full lips and thick, black hair parted on the side and swept over his forehead, which was broadly significant of intelligence. He had a well-defined jawline and dark, narrow, focused eyes. He was dressed entirely in black, save for a dark red shirt under his tuxedo jacket. The girl was wearing a shin-length dark gray dress, her black hair pulled into an elaborate updo, accompanied by diamond earrings, a pearl necklace, a light application of lipstick. They approached the agent, who put on a bright smile.

"_Bomjour, _guests!" he bowed slightly. "We have been expecting you."

"-Yes, you have." The girl replied. The agent saw a flash of uncertainty flash across the duo's faces. He made a show of scanning the guest list.

"Here we are! _Monsieur _Alcott and _Madamouiselle _Wyndsor, _non?__"_

__"Yes, that's us." The girl answered. the agent bowed again, sweeping his hand into the club's door.

"Welcome! And enjoy your evening!"

After the two had disappeared inside, the agent let out a sigh of relief.

"Preston to Shadow: They're here." he spoke into his ear-comm, a distinct Kazakh accent emerging."Two teenagers, shouldn't be hard to spot. Is the decoy in place?" The agent nodded after a moment, and switched off his ear-comm.

_They won't even know what hit them._


	39. Closing Net

_**Hello, readers. Sorry I haven't updated in almost a week, but I was on a trip and didn't have access to the internet for a while...**_

Nyla Zaviera hated waiting. It seemed like that was all she did for the past five years, just wait. But she knew that was about to change.

_Soon, I will fulfill my destiny._

She shoved her way through the throng of people, her impatience for her task making her restless.

_I'm not a helpless little girl anymore. Look out, Cahills. My time has almost come._

_..._

"I contacted the plane. They will be here in about twenty minutes." Elias reported, checking his phone. The group were all lounging on plush sofas, save Amy, who was making revoloutions around the center of the room at astonishing speeds.

"Finally!" she exclaimed, halting her tormented trek. It was with such anxiety that she was circling the room that she had left a track of footprints in the red carpet. Matt looked up from his laptop.

"The plane will take us directly to Namche Bazaaar." he said. "When we arrive, we'll all have to be vigilant; Vespers have been swarming the town. Once we locate a hostile agent, we'll extract the information from them."

"Can I handle extraction?" Dan piped up. All heads in the room swiveled toward him incredulously.

"Not a good idea, kiddo." Nellie snorted, pulling out her earbuds. "You want to be fresh and ready to rescue your uncle. Those Vespers are seriously gangster."

"_I _will be handling extraction." Matt declared. Before anyone could protest, he held up a hand. "I've been dealing with Vespers for...for many, many years. I practically grew up with Vespers as a part of my life. I know how to handle them."

"Fine. But you take Dan and I with you." Amy huffed. Dan nodded. Matt smiled at them, then turned to look out the window. This concealed his face, and nobody else saw the smirk spread across his face.

_Fat chance, children._

_..._

Accross the European continent, Natalie and Zai were having their own issues.

"Lighten up. You look too tense." Natalie whispered to her companion as they strolled through the Chez Castel, which was packed with important figures in the Parisian society. "This is supposed to be a relaxed event; you look like you want to kill somebody."

_You have no idea._ "Elizabeth is in here somewhere." Zai replied, ignoring her suggestion. "If we let our guard down, we could be wiped out in an instant. Is that what you want?"

"She won't try anything in a place like this." Natalie hissed back. "And would it kill you to smile?"

"You never know." Zai replied, his lips twisting into a cruel, grimace-like imitation of a smile. All around them, people were swaying and dancing to the music, glasses of champagne everywhere. As Zai and Natalie veered away from the music, a young woman with platinum hair crossed their path.

"_Bonjour,_ my friends!" she smiled sweetly at them. "Is it not refreshing to see other teenagers at an adult-infested event like this?"

"Exceedingly so." Zai replied dryly. Natalie elbowed him. He promptly put on his most dazzling smile, showing his teeth and dimple.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance." He nodded at the girl. She smiled brightly and sashayed away, casting one glance back as she disappeared into the crowd.

"Was that so hard?" Natalie asked once she was gone. Zai rolled his eyes.

"Maybe." he answered, his face returned to it's usual dark impassiveness. Natalie sighed.

"I suppose you were a big hit at school dances." she muttered.

"Hardy har har." Zai replied. "Never been to a school, never been to a dance. Now let's split up. If you see Elizabeth...find someway to let me know." With that, he turned and stalked off in the opposite direction. Natalie sighed.

_He probably _would_ be a hit at dances, _she surmised, watching his back vanish into the background, _if he decided that his prescious time and emotions were worth wasting on another human being._

_..._

Dan sat deep in thought, watching his travelling companions preparing to depart.

_When we get to Nepal and rescue Uncle Fiske, will the Vespers be after us? We me have the element of surprise now, but there's no way we can hide from them._

He looked around the room. Uncle Alistair was dozing on a chair, his cane leaning against the back. Dan's eyes narrowed.

_What's hidded in that cane? Uncle Alistair said he had top-secret Lucian files on Zai's family and past. What else? Maybe something that could help us against the Vespers. But how to access that information?_

He knew that Alistair's cane was fingerpring activated, and Alistair guarded it with his life. Seperating it from him would be even harder than getting into it.

_I love a good challenge._

"Plane's here!" Elias announced, jumping up. Everyone, including Alistair, swiftly got to their feet and watched as a sleek jet taxied to a stop outside the lounge building.

"Don't worry, Dan. We'll find him." Amy said solemnly as they filed out into the night air. Dan nodded, his mind elsewhere.

_I need that cane._

_..._

Zai pushed his way through crouds of dancing Parisians, scanning for Elizabeth.

_Elizabeth._

He cursed Elizabeth in his mind for making him do these things. First involving the Cahill siblings with _his _revenge, then making him drag Natalie around the world in _his_ exclusive quest to find her.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

Natalie trusted him, and he was experiencing odd hesitations about breaking her trust. But he had plans, and they couldn't be changed.

_No trust. No emotions. No mercy. _Since he was orphaned, Zai had stuck to these three principles. They had served his well, but he didn't know how much longer he could keep it up. His pills had run out back in England, and he felt different. He felt more..._clear_. He didn't know how he'd acted so nice to Amy back in Hong Kong and at the Kabra's mansion. He felt like he was freeing himself from some sort of vice.

_It's nothing, _he told himself. _Just a natural reaction to the stress._ But even he doubted himself.

He was just about to return to the front door when a shrill cry rang out through the club.

_"Someone's stolen my necklace!"_

Zai's whipped his head around, eyes narrowing. Natalie had found Elizabeth.

Zai slipped through the crowd, trying to remain inconspicuous. If Elizabeth was aware of her pursuers, their chance of getting information out of her would be ruined. Zai found Natalie near the drinks bar, anxiously clutching at her neck. People nearby, sympathetic or perhaps familiar with the Kabra name, were trying to help. When Natalie spotted Zai, she pointed to her neck and then to him. He nodded, understanding.

"I've found your necklace!" He called to her. She hurried over, and when she reached him, she withdrew a necklace from her purse and fastened it around her neck.

"Thank you!" she cried, nodding behind her. Zai looked over her shoulder and saw Elizabeth, relaxing at a table and sharing a group of well-dressed guests. She was laughing, completely unaware of the two teenagers about to approach her.

"Have you got your gun?" Natalie whispered. Zai nodded, patting his hip.

"We'll circle around and appreach her from behind." Natalie decided. "Then, we'll sit on either side of her..."

"...And we ask her where they are keeping Fiske Cahill, why they attacked your estate, and why she sent Cheyenne to abduct us in Calais." Zai finished. He sighed. "And maybe where your brother and the others are."

"Let's go." Natalie nodded and slipped away. Zai cast a wary eye around and melted into the throng, feeling his gun against his leg.

...

_The Shadow slunk among the dancers, keeping an eye on both the boy and the girl. The information sent by Waverley was accurate; the Shadow marveled how they were keeping tabs on the Cahill's every move without really physically following them. The information Daniel Cahill so carelessly gave away was especially helpful._

_The Shadow grinned as the subjects drew nearer to their target. _Soon, Cahills, you will walk right into our trap. And you will be completely at the mercy of the Vespers.

...

_**I really, really wanted to include more in this chapter, but I prefer updating more frequently, even if it means slightly shorter chapters. **_


	40. When a Party Flops

**_A thousand apologies again for taking so long; I just moved to another state and din't have internet access for a couple weeks. This was all I could think about up till now. Enjoy!_**

**_..._**

"Are you nervous?" Dan asked quietly. Elias looked away from the window at him, his eyebrows inching up his forehead in mild surprise.

"No, Amy. I'm a trained agent; these situations are just a part of life," he replied, turning back to the window next to him. "And there's nothing to be nervous about."

"I don't mean that." Dan replied. Elias furrowed his brow in confusion. He'd thought Dan was asleep like everyone else on the plane, yet here he was, acting in a cryptic, very un-Dan like way.

"There's a war coming." Dan continued softly, but with a disturbing solemness. "The Vespers can only wait so long, and time is up."

"Ummm..." Elias blinked in confusion. Was there something in Dan's water?

"Just wait. The Vespers are almost ready." Dan intoned. "And soon, we'll have no choice."

Elias shook his head wearily. Dealing with Madrigals was almost as impossible as trying to kill them.

...

Natalie sidestepped a crush of intoxicated party-goers and trying to remain incognito as she approached the brown-haired woman at a table about ten yards away. The Chez Castel's subtle blue lighting, along with the relaxed mix of music and soft babble of talk and laughter gave the environment a dream-like feel, and Natalie was finding it increasingly hard to concentrate.

_Keep moving keep moving keep moving keep moving_

Natalie knew the importance of what she and Zai were doing. And, at that moment, all she wanted was to be back with Ian. She didn't care that she was at the hottest event in Paris; she didn't even care that she was wearing the same pair of shoes two days in a row. She set her eyes on Elizabeth and prepared for what was coming. But as she got closer, she grew nervous. Where was Zai? She glanced around her, trying to spot him in the dim club. She finally saw his dark figure, also moving toward Elizabeth. She slowed slightly so they would arrive at the same time. She felt the cold metal of her gun and tried to fight off the wave of dread that washed over her.

...

Natalie and Zai both crept toward the target, murder in their eyes. The Shadow almost didn't blame them; they had plenty to be angry about. But the Shadow knew that pity was nonexistent in their world. The Shadow also knew that those two were a threat, and needed to be stopped. The title of Shadow was given to those chosen to observe-and occasionally intervene in the matters of-enemy agents. And thus, the Shadow had stripped all previous identity to become just that: a shadow to Natalie and Zai. And in this dim light, shadows were everywhere.

...

Zai squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again as he drew close to Elizabeth. This was the moment that he'd often imagined in his head, and never quite ending in the same way. Sometimes, it ended with him shooting Elizabeth. Sometimes he killed her in more...gruesome ways. The saddest one was where he imagined Elizabeth removing a latex mask, revealing his mother. Another, which Zai wasn't sure if he liked or not, was where she killed him, and he was finally at peace; cool, black peace. But his favorite was where just as they met, he opened his eyes and the whole nightmare would be just that: a nightmare. And he would be eleven again, back in Hawaii, waking up to a beautiful beach sunrise and fresh coconut smoothies made by his brother or mother.

_Not likely. _Zai smiled a rueful smile. Those were happy-ending fantasy stories, while he was living a tragic-ending, real-live horror show. He cleared his mind and took the final steps toward Elizabeth.

_Well, here's the part where I find out the ending._

_..._

Natalie was only a few feet from Elizabeth now. She turned to Zai, who had appeared next to her and nodded. Together, they stepped toward her. She could make out individual escaping from her bun; smell her floral perfume. She and Zai were close enough to tap her shoulder when she spun around suddenly. A smile played on her lips, and Natalie came to a horrible realization.

_She's expecting us._

And then, after a horrible second of open-mouthed gaping on her part, Natalie made another realization. The slightly wider eyes, lighter hair, more arched eyebrows, thinner lips: This wasn't Elizabeth. And her light bulb moment was confirmed when the seemingly doppelganger's lips formed two parted in a mocking smirk.

_Fooled you._

_..._

It all unfolded very quickly. Zai saw that 'Elizabeth' was a fake, prompting him to grab Natalie's arm and dash in the other direction.

_The only reason a fake Elizabeth would be planted here, _he thought, _would be to lure us into a trap._

Elizabeth stood up and barked out orders to an unseen Vesper operative. Not stopping to think about how strange it was, Zai and Natalie ran faster, their the club becoming a blur.

"Where's the exit?" Natalie screamed, covering her head with her hands. Zai didn't answer, his brain too frantic to process information properly. He could hear footsteps thudding close behind him, but he absolutely did not want to see who was following them.

Natalie pulled her arm from Zai's grasp and fumbled with her handbag.

"What are you doing?" Zai hissed as they ducked into a group of dancers. Natalie pulled out her gun.

"Watch." As Zai's eyes widened, she pointed her gun upwards.

_BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!_

__Six shots tore through the club's light fixtures, plunging the room into darkness. Some guests were screaming, which helped further mask Natalie's and Zai's escape.

"Move!" Natalie shoved Zai as the pounding footsteps grew nearer. They zigzagged through the hoards of people, many of whom had created a traffic jam trying to flee the club.

"Where's another exit?" Zai frantically tried to scope out another exit that wasn't blocked by human body sea.

"There!" Natalie hissed, pointing toward glowing red 'Exit' sign on the other side of the club. Zai and Natalie made their way across the club, trying to ignore the sound of their pursuer, which was consistent against the faint shrieks and music in the background.

"The door's locked!" Natalie reached the door first and tugged, but to no avail. Zai joined in, but it wasn't budging. The Shadow was almost upon them. Zai and Natalie had just sunk to the floor in defeat when the door opened and a pair of large hands grabbed Natalie and Zai, yanking them behind the door into more darkness.

...

"We'll be landing in Kathmandu in few hours." Alistair announced, setting down his cup of water. Outside, light was beginning to filter through the cloud layer, casting away the dreariness of the dark plane. "I suggest you all get ready for what we're about to face."

"What's the plan once we land?" Amy whispered stretching. Matt heard this from across the seating area and raised a blonde eyebrow, but Ian answered.

"We're going to split up and track down Vesper operatives." Amy nodded. "And then," Ian glanced at Matt. "We extract the information on the whereabouts of Mr. Cahill."

"And how are we going to extract this information?" Amy asked. At this, Matt interjected.

"Amy, suffice it to say that we'll need trained interrogators and possibly torture experts to get this job done."

...

Zai and Natalie whirled at their mystery rescuer, but his face was obscured by shadows.

"Who are you?" Natalie demanded. But instead of striking her or running away, the large figure rumbled with laughter.

"You don't remember _moi, mon cherie?"_

_"J-JU-JULIAN?_ The _pilot?"_ Zai sputtered. He felt incredulous, cheated even, that this man had saved him. But, more importantly why?_  
_

"Because, silly children, you were about to fall into the grasp of that nasty man outside!" Julian responded, making Zai realize he'd spoken aloud.

"Who are you?" Natalie asked. Julian smiled, a comforting thing in these circumstances.

"A friend. Now, you need to escape." Julian flipped a switch to reveal a small, closet-like room. He crouched down, his massive bulk balancing on his heels, and opened a three-foot square hole in the wall.

"A tunnel. It leads outside to a plane that will take you to safety. Let's go!"

"Umm..." Natalie began. She and Zai were both looking for a polite way to tell Julian that he was to...

"OHO!' Julian roared with laughter. "This fools them all the time." With a wink, he grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked, opening up the front.

"OH MY GOD WHY ARE YOU STRIPPING?" Zai shielded his eyes and turned away, eyes clamped shut. Julian continued laughing, and Natalie chimed in.

"It's alright, Zai." Natalie managed between giggles. Zai turned around and gave a tentative peek. Julian entire torso seemed to split in half. Upon closer inspection, Zai realised that the shirt was attached to Julian's torso. It looked as if the shirt was a part of Julian's skin, and his his front had been cut open. Or...

"Thank god." Zai breathed in relief as Julian removed his fat suit. Once the latex face mask was removed, Julian was an incredibly fit, tall black-haired man with green eyes. He was wearing a leather jumpsuit and gloves.

"Now, let's go." he said, his exaggerated French accent gone. With a smile, he ushered Zai and Natalie into the tunnel, before getting on all fours and following them.


	41. Out of the boiling pot

_**Just a quick 'hello' to all those who are reading this, and a question: Should I shift the focus more on Amy, Dan, Ian, Nellie, Elias, Matt, and Alistair, or more on Natalie and Zai?**__**  
**_

_**...**_

_Why am I always wearing something nice when I have to crawl in the dirt?_

Natalie was irritated about the stains the dirty tunnel-which had opened enough to allow her to walk in a crouched position-was putting on her dress. She was also pretty certain that she wouldn't have the opportunity to go shopping in the foreseeable future, so she was stuck with whatever she had on her back. Wait...why did that something feel tickly and scratchy-?

"_RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!_" Natalie shrieked and jumped upward, banging her head on the roof of the tunnel. The rat, which was about six inches long, not including the tail, leaped off and scurried away. _  
_

"Watch it!" Shadows danced as Julian dropped the flashlight he was holding, startled by the rodent. 'Watch it' were the only two words he'd uttered since they'd entered the tunnel, so it was hard to determine his accent. Natalie was detecting a slight trace of Middle Eastern, perhaps Egyptian. Zai rolled his eyes from the front of the line.

"Do you want to attract the attention of whoever's after us?" Zai asked, shaking dust out of his hair. "Because I certainly don't." He was still in his jacket, and somehow looked immaculate.

"Well, excuse me for being startled by a foot-long, disease infested, filthy RAT-"

"The shadow." Julian said suddenly. Natalie and Zai both stopped moving and turned around.

"The what?" Natalie asked. Julian shook his head.

"Now a 'what', a 'who'. The Shadow is a specialised Vesper agent, trained and assigned to trail, track, and hunt a chosen Cahill target." Julian told them. There was absolute silence when he stopped talking; Natalie and Zai were both unconsciously holding their breaths.

"Do they kill their targets?" Zai asked after a moment. The shadows in the tunnel seemed to writhe more menacingly at his words.

"Sometimes." Julian responded. "Or they could be sent to lure their target into traps, gather intelligence, or even simply to stir up confusion, chaos, and fear."

Natalie and Zai gulped. It was bad enough that the Vespers were after the Cahills, but a specialized agent sent specifically to hunt them?

"Could our Shadow be following us right now?"

"Doubtful." Julian looked around. "I sealed the entrance to this tunnel, and it needs fingerprint, iris, and voice identification to open. It's also made of five hundred pounds of reinforced titanium. And if it was somehow opened, the alarm system would alert us."

"So the outside is completely sealed out?" Natalie asked. Julian nodded. She pursed her lips.

"Wait." Natalie spoke slowly as she turned to face Julian. "How do we know _you're_ not the Shadow?" Zai stopped moving, annoyed that that thought hadn't crossed his mind. Julian's face, half hidden by shadows, suddenly looked very ominous.

Julian held the teenagers' gazes for a tense moment, both of their breathing increasing in frequency. Then, a look of amusement spread across his face, immediately lessening any suspicions Natalie and Zai might have had.

"Zai, you won't be needing your gun," he nodded at Zai, who's hand had unconsciously gone to his hip. "I am definitely not your Shadow."

Zai, his eyes unblinking, kept his hand on his hip. Julian sighed.

"Do you want me to prove it?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he pulled out a card from a pocket on the side of his jumpsuit. He tossed it to Natalie, who caught it and held it up to show Zai.

'Mahmound El-Sharkawi' it read, and under it, 'Authorised Madrigal Agent'. Next to the text was a clear picture of Julian and a signature.

"That's William McIntyre's signature." Zai recognized it. He looked at Natalie, and they both nodded. Natalie tossed the card back to Julian.

"Satisfied?" he asked, pocketing the card.

"Almost. Is your real name Mahmoud?" Natalie asked. Julian chuckled.

"'Julian' is my disguise." Mahmoud began. "Fooling you was necessary in the beginning, especially since your Shadow was right behind us the whole time." By this point, the trio had started moving down the tunnel again.

"Can you tell us what our Shadow looks like?" Zai asked, though he already knew the answer. Mahmoud shrugged.

"Sorry, can't help you there. I don't even know if your Shadow is a male or female. But I do know that when you are in the open, your Shadow is never outside of a ten-yard range of you."

There was silence as the group moved through the dark cave. It had opened up more, allowing the three of them to walk upright. The tunnel was gently sloping downward, and the air took on a sudden chill.

"Where is this leading us anyway?" Natalie inquired. Instead of answering, Mahmoud simply led them a few more steps onward. The floor shifted from being dusty earth to shiny metal. After a moment, they came to a door. Mahmoud scanned his iris in the identification scanner, then led Zai and Natalie into one of the most amazing secret hangars either of them had ever seen.

...

Elias stared out the window as the plane descended into Kathmandu. Although he had never been there before, it was everything he'd expected: Loud, colorful, and confusing.

In other words, the perfect place for Vespers to hide.

Inside, Elias was starting to have serious doubts about this whole escapade. So far, it had been far too easy. Elias had experience with the Vespers, and he knew from that time that the Vespers didn't make anything easy for the Cahills. And since they'd set out looking for Mr. Cahill, they'd only encountered one Vesper ambush, and it wasn't even with real agents. It seemed almost like the Vespers were trying to draw the Cahills into Nepal by advertising their sudden increase in numbers.

"Attention, ladies and gentlemen," Matt's voice rang out over the speaker system in a parody of an airliner pilot's message, "We are beginning our descent into Kathmandu. We will be landing in approximately ten minutes. Please fasten your seat belts, keep your tray tables and seats in the upright locked position, and if you feel nervous, then you shouldn't have come in the first place. Thank you for flying Crazy Cahill airways, and we hope to see you again should you survive Kathmandu."

The speaker clicked off, and everyone sat still for a moment.

"He's right, you know." Alistair broke the silence. "We are entering the lion's lair."

"I think they're expecting us." Elias said quietly. "The Vespers, I mean." He turned to fact the others. Amy turned a couple shades paler, and Nellie had removed her earbuds.

"Why would you say that?" Ian asked. "We've-"

Elias glared at him and put a finger to his lips. Ian looked at him questioningly.

"These walls have ears." Elias hissed. He nodded discreetly toward the cockpit, where Matt was piloting the plane. Ian, who knew of Matt's disputable reputation, nodded. They both settled back in their seats, niether of them noticint the hungry look Dan was giving Alistair's cane.

...

"I can't fly a plane. No matter how much you wish I could, I can't." Zai folded his arms across his chest and frowned at Natalie. She scowled back.

"Really?" she asked in a mock surprise tone. "I was starting to think there was nothing you can't do, Zai!"

"Well, stop thinking." He muttered, frowning. He glanced at a clock on the hangar wall.

_Blast! I have about ten seconds._

"You will not need to fly." Mahmoud interjected. "Not that I would let you, anyway." Zai glared at him, counting the seconds in his head.

_Four...Five...Six..._

"The plane has a programmable navagation system." Mahmoud continues, gesturing toward a sleek, black plane. It was about twenty feet long, and it's wings were a curved triangular shape. The whole plane was rounded, with a circular nose and tail. "You must simply-"

At that second, Zai dropped to his knee, muttering about brushing dust off his shoe. The instant his face was hidden from view, the pain struck. Zai's face twisted in a tortured grimace, and resisted the urge to scream. The pounding lasted for about five seconds, during which he kept his hand stiffly brushing his shoe. Then, the pain subsided as soon as it had started. Zai took a deep breath and stood up.

"-The plane will recognize the destination's flight tower, and will land accordingly." Mahmoud finished his explanation. "Simple."

"Before we go, can you do us a favor?" Natalie asked. Mahmoud raised his eyebrows.

"Can you contact the Lucian stronghold and tell them we're alive?" Natalie's face became pained. "I'm sure they think I'm dead. And Ian..."

"Of course." Mahmoud's face softened. "I'll contact them as I get back to my vehicle. The Shadow is in the area, and will intercept the message. My care has a scrambling program built into the communications link, so it will be safe there."

"Can we contact them from the plane?" Natalie asked. Mahmoud nodded.

"Absolutely. The plane also has scrambling technology, so anything you send will be hidden from the Shadow." Mahmoud led them up to the plane. The door, invisible against the background, slid open silently, and the plane's interior lit up.

"Well," Mahmoud began, "This is where we must part. Farewell, and good luck to you both."

"Thank you." Natalie and Zai said in unison. Well, Natalie said it, Zai mumbled it, his head still spinning from the flash. Mahmoud offered them one last small smile, then turned and disappeared into the darkness.

Natalie turned to her travelling companion. "Next stop: Nepal."

...

_The Shadow, crouched in the darkness under the plane, narrowed the eyes trained on the targets. Those Cahill fools didn't honestly think that a hangar this big could be hidden from the most widespread organisation in the world? _

_The Shadow squinted, watching the adult Cahill walk away. As soon as he was out of eyesight, the Shadow raised a small, thin silver tube to the shadowed lips beneath the hood and exhaled hard, once. A small, silver dart, barely one centimeter long, streaked toward the target and struck on the neck. What was his name-Mahmoud?-sunk to his knees, then fell to the floor with a thud. _

_The lips, which had just delivered the incapacitating blow, curled into a smile. People like him, who were former Vespers and left the group to sell secrets to those stupid Cahills, deserved to be taken out. The Shadow's superiors were on his trail for years now, and the Shadow just took him out while trailing the Cahill brats. It was killing two birds with one stone._

Or one dart_, the Shadow mused, grinning again.  
_

_...  
_

Elizabeth was pleased with the progress her protege was making. First, the Shadow had found the Cahill children, and had tailed them undected for days. The Shadow also sniffed out Mahmoud, an old agent who betrayed the Vespers for the Cahills. She suspected Cora Wizard and her notorious bribery. The Shadow had dealt with him nicely: A tiny drop of Elizabeth's special brew, which contained stonefish venom, blue-ringed octopus venom and was stolen from her sister years ago, was one of her favorite weapons.

Elizabeth leaned back in her reclining chair, glancing appreciatively at a painting she had been working on. She grinned. That was another of the Shadow's accomplishments: Fetching her part of the precious Cahill serum from Hong Kong. Elizabeth pursed her lips, considering what the Shadow's reward should be. Maybe her protege could be the first Shadow to be included in the Vesper circle of leaders.

But that could come later.

_..._


	42. NOTICE: SUGGESTIONS APPRECIATED

_**Hey, fiction lovers. I know it's been a while since I last posted, but I'm having kind of a hard time deciding where to take my story. I know the general direction, but I'm trying to figure out how to develop relations between different characters. Some people said they wanted amian (AmyxIan), so I'm trying to work that in. If you have any more suggestions, or any other ideas of character development, the best thing you is tell me. Just send me a PM or write a review on what you would like to see. Whatever you write will most likely end up in the next chapter (which I plan to get out in a few days), because I'm hungry for advice.**  
_

_-Ciao!  
_


	43. NOTICE: SUGGESTIONS APPRECIATED 2

**_One more thing: How do you think my writing's improved since I started this story? I know the first chapter sucked, and the first ten or so were also not very well written. But I started to like writing more and more; now it's a regular hobby of mine. I tried to improve my writing style to make it easier to understand. I don't want to pressure anybody, but feedback is one of the things that I LOVE and it also helps me understand what I'm doing wrong or right. I just want to know, because as my story gets more serious and deep I want to make it more smoothly written. _**_  
_

**_Thanks so much. If you are even just reading this one chapter, you're the best!  
_**


	44. Into The Flames revised

_**Well, I'm back with more. I think I more or less figured out what I wanted to write; here it is. THIS IS THE RE-EDITED VERSION OF THIS CHAPTER, IF YOU ALREADY READ THE ORIGIONAL, READ THIS ONE.  
**_

**_..._**

Amy and Dan were growing restless, something that happened more and more often since the Vesper war had started. They were in the Tribhuvan International Airport in a small room that Alistair had bribed one of the security officers into letting them use, which Amy assumed was a storage closed, judging from the stacks of boxes and crates along the wall. She and Dan were sort of patiently waiting while Nellie, Matt, and Alistair decided how to proceed with their mission, while Ian tried fruitlessly to add his input.

Nellie wanted to try and contact Elizabeth, Matt wanted to investigate one of the Vesper hotspots in the city, and Alistair wanted to reach the nearby Janus stronghold in Lhasa and wait for backup to arrive.

"We're wasting time." Dan complained, shoving his phone in his pocket. The glow from the screen had gone out, and the single, naked bulb hanging from the ceiling now cast erie shadows across the room. "They have jets just as fast as ours. They'll be here in no time."

"Dan-" Amy started.

"No, he's right." Matt interrupted, stepping back over to them. The four had broken up their meeting, and Nellie, Alistair, and Ian flanked Matt, all looking somewhat mollified. "That's why we're splitting up."

"Splitting up?" Elias asked, walking up, just having returned from seeing off his pilot. "You mean, us splitting up into groups?" He looked from Matt to Nellie, then to Alistair. Amy noticed Ian visibly darken when Elias didn't look at him, too.

"Correct." Alistair sighed. "We will split up into three groups: One of us will go to one of the hotspots in the city, one of us will try and trace a call back to Elizabeth, and the last will contact the other Cahill leaderships and request backup from any operatives in the area."

Elias frowned slightly, but didn't say anything. Matt, on the other hand, was practically glowing. Amy had a growing suspicion that much more was going on with these people than what was said. There also seemed to be a growing tension between Matt and Elias, which was also strange, seeing as they were from the same branch.

"How are we splitting up?" Elias finally asked. He looked up at Matt, who looked at Alistair, who looked at Nellie.

"We'll each take one team." Nellie responded. Elias saw that, for one of the first times since he'd met Nellie, she actually looked _serious.  
_

_Which has got to be hard, with multicolored hair, numerous body piercings, and a pair of surgically implanted earbuds.  
_

"I'm with Dan." Amy said automatically. "We already make a good team."

"I'm sure you do." Matt reponded flatly. "But, unfortunately, you two will not be a team."

"Wait-" Dan started, but Matt cut him off.

"There are seven of us, which means that ther will be two teams of two and one team of three." he began.

"Dan and I will be on the team of three." Amy tried again.

"No, you won't." Matt repeated. Elias noticed his jaw clench; a sign that he was getting annoyed. "Because I need you and Ian to be on my team with me."

"Wait-" This time it was Nellie cutting in. Matt raised a hand, silencing her.

"Ian is the co-leader of the Lucian branch. Or, as I should say, _ex_ co-leader, since your sister is dead. And, Amy, although you might not realize it, you are, essentially, the leader of the Madrigal branch. Since your great-uncle is captured and Mr. McIntyre is hospitalised, you are next in line as branch head."

"I-" Amy stopped. Because what Matt said made sense. Because she remembered when, a few months before Dan was kidnapped, her uncle had said...

_"Amy. One day, Mr. McIntyre and I won't be around anymore. And I feel, my sister felt, that you will one day lead this branch. Your success in her Clue hunt proved it. I don't know when, but you are destined for greatness, Amy. I don't know how long I will branch leader. So you need to know now that it will happen later. But you'll be ready for it. Because you are a Madrigal."_

"I understand_."_ she said. She looked at Ian and nodded.

"Elias will be coming with me." Alistair continued. "It will be our job to get backup, and we will call conference with the Janus and Tomas leaderships to help us with the situation.

"Dan, kiddo, you're with me." Nellie finished. "We're gonna try and get a hold of Elizabeth, possibly through the call made with your phone when you were being held captive in China."

"Does everybody understand?" Matt asked. Everyone nodded gravely, even Dan. Matt pursed his lips, satisfied.

"I've also rented three vehicles, one for each of our teams. We will contact each other..." he pulled out three, small, flat black devices. On their backs, the name of each person was engraved. "With these." he handed one to each person in the room. "It is fingerprint sensitive to the person who's name is on it-touch the screen with your left index finger, and you can contact one of the other six commlinks."

"Wait," Nellie asked, "How did you know to get three vehicles? We only just decided to split into three groups."

"I'm a Lucian." Matt shared a smile with Elias and Ian. "I get what I want, how I want."

"Let's go." Nellie huffed, grabbing Dan and stalking out of the room. Alistair and Elias followed, leaving Ian and Amy with Matt. He turned and looked at them.

"What's about to happen, you two, won't be easy." he said solemnly. "But it's the kind of thing that you, as branch leaders, need to get used to. Need to have experience with." He leaned closer, his face bathed in shadows. "Need to _enjoy._"

He turned and walked out. Amy swallowed and glanced at Ian, who gave her a reassuring nod. He walked beside her out of the room, placing a hand on her back. A hand Amy didn't shake off.

...

"Zai?" Natalie whispered, wondering if Zai was asleep. It was pitch-black outside, the lights of Paris twinkling far below.

"Yes?" he answered after a moment, his voice quiet. His was looking out the window, avoiding eye contact with Natalie.

"Are you..." she faltered.

"Scared?" Zai finished. He twisted away from the window and looked at his lap. "No."

"Are you telling the truth?" she asked.

"Why?" he asked back, still not looking at her.

Natalie pursed her lips in frustration: she wanted Zai to give a real answer, to smile, to just _look_ at her.

"We're in this together." she replied. "If you're scared...you can tell me." She looked at Zai, then quickly looked down again. "You can...you can trust me. You can trust me, Zai."

Zai didn't say anything for a moment. Then, he looked at her, some of the coldness gone from his eyes.

"I know." he said softly. He then turned his back to her and leaned against the seat. Some might've missed it, but Natalie's sharp ears picked up the two words he murmered into the silence.

"Thank you."

...

A few hours later, Natalie checked the small GPS screen in front of her. According to the readings, they were directly over the Black Sea. She yawned and considered taking a nap. Zai was asleep, if his steady breathing was any indication. Entranced by the sound, Natalie sat back and watched him for a moment; the steady rise of his stomach, his eyes closed, his hands folded in his lap, his dark hair flopped over one eye. She noticed how shiny it looked in the dim light. This was such a change, she thought. A pleasant change. Usually, he looked so sullen and brooding, even tormented. Natalie had never before seen Zai look so...peaceful. Serene, even.

_It's like there's a storm brewing behind his eyes, _she mused. _But now, the storm subsided. _Zai, she mused, was a boy who operated in the world from behind a icy cloak. You could still see him, talk to him, but never really reach him.

_But I will. _She decided. _I'm going to get to know Za__i, the _real _Zai. _Now, as he sat there, it looked to her as if the ice had melted away, and the real boy beneath it was finally revealing himself. She wanted him to look like that when he was awake.

_I want him to be at peace. Like he is now.  
_

Until he jerked forward in his seat.

"_UuuAAARGH!" _He let out a strangled scream, and he threw himself back against the back of the seat. His hands flew to his head, and he bagan hyperventilating, fingers digging into his hair.

"Zai?" Natalie's eyes widened. She reached toward him. He continued to writhe, and she could see tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Zai!" she screamed. "Oh, my God!"

Then, his moaning subsided, and he sank back in his seat, chest heaving, cheeks wet.. Natalie reached out and wiped the tears from his face, then placed her hand over his, squeezing his cold fingers.

"It's okay, Zai. You're fine." she squeezed his hand again. "You're fine."

And they remained like this for a while, the Lucian girl trying to comfort the tormented boy.

...

**_Sorry that took so long, but the part with the Cahills took FOREVER to come up with. And, like many of you wanted, I started introducing (Amian? Amyian?) into the story. Review and stay tuned! This is the re-updated version of this chapter, you might notice a few changes.  
_**


	45. Things May Not Be As They Seem

_**I hope you liked the last chapter. Suggestions always help!**_

_**...**_

One of the cabin lights was on, creating a dim glow in the seating area where Natalie Kabra sat next to Zai, her hand clasped over his clammy one. His chest had stopped heaving, he had stopped sweating, and his lips were still.

"...Zai?" Natalie asked after a moment. No response. She squeezed his hand lightly. His eyelids fluttered open, and he blinked.

"What happened?" Natalie asked. Zai blinked again, then looked down, seeing Natalie's hand over his. He pulled his hand away and turned away from Natalie.

"Nothing." he muttered hastily. "I'm fine-"

"-No." Natalie grabbed his arm, stopping him. "You're not fine. You were hyperventilating, sweating, and gasping."

Zai tried to shrug her hand off, but she gripped tighter and carried on.

"We're in this together; we don't really have a choice." She said, her voice becoming almost desperate. This behavior went against all of her training she had received up until that point, but she didn't care at the moment. Zai turned toward her, and her grip on his arm slackened.

"Because, we both have nobody else to trust right now." she finished, then bit her lip. Zai noticed a slight quiver in her chin, which, he concluded, was a huge indication of emotion on her part.

"Natalie-" he started, but she cut him off.

"I _trust_ you, Zai!" she exclaimed, her voice pleading, her eyes wide. "So I'll tell you this: I'm scared. Everyone thinks we're dead, we have a Shadow Vesper agent on our trail, and we, two teenagers, are heading into their headquarters!" She stopped and took a deep breath. "I trust you...because I feel alone and have nobody else to trust. Don't you feel the same?"

Natalie stopped and let go of Zai's arm, exhausted after her rant. Zai didn't reply, he just turned and looked out the window.

_Did what I just said affect him at _all_? _Natalie wondered. Zai sat there so still, so quiet. She began to worry in her head that, maybe, she couldn't trust him.

Then, Zai turned back and looked at Natalie.

"It was a nightmare." he said sullenly.

...

Nellie raised her pierced eyebrows questioningly at Dan from across the dimly lit car. Outside, the bright lights of the city a stark contrast to the car's dark interior. Despite Dan's nagging, Nellie established that they would stay in the reinforced car a few blocks from the airport while they attempted to contact Elizabeth. They had been sitting there for the last twenty minutes, with no results.

_Got anything?_ she mouthed. Dan looked up from the ground and shook his head, then shoved his phone into his pocket in frustration.

"Nothing." he scowled. "She must have broadcast a long wavelength signal from one of the Vesper satellites. It literally came from all over the world at once."

Nellie scowled in frustration. "There's no way we can access the Vespers' satellite from here. We'll have to call Matt."

"Go ahead." Dan sighed, emitting an air of frustration. Nellie raised an eyebrow at him and pulled out her comm device.

...

"Umm...Matt?" Amy twirled a strand of hair around her finger as they sped through the tangled streets of the Kamaladi sector. "Where exactly are we going?" She glanced at Matt in the mirror; his eyes were narrowed and his jaw tensed.

"The Patan Durbar square." he answered tersely. He jerked the wheel to the left, swerving violently bast a pickup truck stuffed with live poultry. "It may seem strange, but the Vespers have an underground base there."

"The bolder the move, the less suspicious." Ian quipped. "Clever."

"Well, not clever enough." Matt slammed the brake, throwing the passengers forward in their seats to allow a large family to cross. "We-

He was cut off by a loud buzzing from his pocket. He cursed softly and removed his communication like, flicking it on.

"Matt!" Nellie's voice blared over the speaker, with a clearness that made it seem like she was in the backseat.

"What?!" Matt yelled back equally as loud, throwing the car to the side of the road to narrowly miss a wayward cow.

"We have a problem!" Nellie shouted back. "We could only trace Elizabeth's call as far as one of the Vesper satellites-"

"Only?" Matt yelled again. Ian couldn't tell if they were yelling because of anger, stress, or difficulty hearing. _Probably a combination of the three._

Ian could practically hear Nellie growl on her side of the connection. _Matt's playing a dangerous game_, he thought, _irritating her like that._

"You try!" Nellie yelled. "Anyhow, we're going to meet up with you, so send me your destination's coordinates."

"Fine." Matt replied. He moved the device away from his ear for a split second, in which a piercing alarm sounded from it.

"What is that?" Amy shrieked, covering her ears. Matt's face darkened, and his eyes narrowed. He put the device up to his ear again, his eyes flicking impatiently.

"Nellie!" Matt shouted again. "You've got trouble!" Ian looked at Amy and raised his eyebrows, and she shook her head and shrug.

"Whaddaya mean?" Nellie's voice took on a tone of concern.

"You've got a tail!" Matt told her. "I was alerted when a car was withing twenty meters of the car for more that ten minutes. There's a suspicious vehicle on your tail Nellie. You've got to do something!"

"No duh!" Dan's voice came across this time. "Can you give us an idea of what it is we're trying to shake?"

"Red SUV." Matt told them. "The Vespers must know that I'm onto them, so they won't go subtle. Just try and avoid them and meet up with us. We'll wait somewhere for you; I'll send you the coordinates."

"Roger. Dan out."

Matt hung up and shook his head, smiling slightly.

It was just starting.

...

"Nellie?" Dan asked from the passengers' seat, fidgeting nervously. "Can we go any faster? I don't like the idea of being run over by those people."

"Run us over?" Nellie snorted. "Dude, this car is freaking monster! I'll be surprised if they can even burst our tires."

"Still, it seems like there's a pattern here." Dan mused. "We keep ending up running from them on the road...Back in Boston, Hong Kong, Paris, and now here."

"That makes-WHOA!" Nellie slammed the brake to the floor, instantly cementing the car to the ground. Dan groaned and pushed himself back into an upright position, trying to massage the ache in the back of his neck.

_This can't be good..._

Sure enough, one block in front of them was a huge, bloodred SUV, at least as big as the one Dan and Nellie were in, pointed straight toward them. Dan squinted at the windows, but they were pitch-black.

"Nellie..." Dan started slowly. The car sat there, still and menacing. Then, it's engine revved.

"Nellie! Turn around!" he yelled frantically. The large car had started to move toward them as if in slow-motion, oozing through the crowd.

"I'm trying! These streets are too tight!" Nellie gasped. She was inching forward, pivoting, inching forward again-all while honking madly at the movement-impeding crowd. The red SUV was only about ten yards away at that point.

"MOVE! MOVE!" Nellie rolled down her window and tried to get her point across. But no matter what she said, a few large carts and their pushers would not get off the streets. Nellie had to admire their bravery, though; standing up to a three-ton monster of metal. Unfortunately, however, Nellie could not see the cart-pushers tiny earbuds, through which they were receiving instructions from Patan Durbar square.

"We're not gonna make it!" Dan exclaimed. He flipped on his comm device, sending a hasty message to Amy-_S.O.S._

_"Brace yourself!" _Nellie gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes as the car reached within five feet of them. Then, just when it was close enough to reach out and touch...it stopped.

"Whats it doing?" Dan asked, sounding even more nervous. But, contrary to both of their expectations, the SUV proceeded to reverse, melting backwards through the strangely now-crowd and around the corner, out of sight. Nellie let out a sigh of relief.

"What the heck was that?" Dan exploded. "Why did they back away?-not that I'm complaining. But why did they do that? We'd better get out of here, Nellie. Now."

"Right." Nellie collected herself-checked her nails-and gripped the steering wheel, revving the engine fiercely. "We've got some Vesper butt to kick."

...

_The agent in the bloodred SUV grinned-this was much more fun than that desk job back in Kazakhstan. But the grin turned to a grimace when the agent thought of how the fun was cut short, by a message that had appeared on the car's messaging link:_

We still need them alive. -M.

...

"It was about that night, wasn't it?" Natalie asked softly. Zai swallowed, and nodded, once. He was now breathing normally, and his face had regained it's cold passiveness.

"Can you tell me...what happened that-" Natalie stopped when she saw Zai's face darken. _Talking to him is like trying to thread a needle, _she thought. _You don't thread it__, it won't stay in the...hole. But if you thread it too hard or too softly, you also won't get results._

_"_I-I'm sorry." Natalie apologised, shaking her head. "I shouldn't have asked that-of course you wouldn't want to talk about it."

"No, it's fine." Zai surprised her by responding. "I'm actually pleased you asked-it finally gives me an excuse to tell someone."

Natalie's eyes widened slightly when she realized what Zai was saying. In a deliberate voice, he began to speak.

"My family had a fight..."

_xxxxx...Ten minutes later...xxxxx_

Zai closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them.

"And then, there was an explosion, and I was thrown into the air." he said. "When I hit the ground, I passed out."

Natalie nodded attentively, waiting to hear the rest. After a second, the horrible truth hit her: There was no, _And then my mother came running, _or _And then I __woke up, screaming. _That _was_ the end. Zai blacked out, and when he woke up, everything he knew was gone. His home, his family...

"Zai...I'm so sorry...I had no idea."

"It's not your fault." Zai shook his head sadly. "You had no way of knowing."

"But I should have." Natalie shook her head. "Before I judged you. I should have known what happened to you."

Zai exhaled and looked at her. "It doesn't matter; now you do." Zai said, his voice sounding thick, but not sad. "Now you can judge me."

Natalie didn't answer. She placed her hand on top of his again, and squeezed, and he didn't pull away or tense up. This time, his hand didn't feel clammy, or sweaty. It was warm.

Zai sat back, drained after telling his story. Natalie was the first person he'd actually told; anyone else who knew was either part of the scheme or one of the people who'd peeled him off the ground after it happened. But now, to let out to someone, made Zai feel less...heavy. His heart felt lighter. He was sitting thousands of feet above the ground, feeling safe and trusted. He looked over at Natalie, sitting still beside him, her hand still on his.

Natalie. Zai didn't know what to do or think of her. She was becoming somebody he felt he wanted to trust. He'd never had anybody like that before. Suddenly, Zai felt sorry inside about all the hurtful things he'd said to her before. He didn't want to see her get hurt anymore.

Natalie was his partner now. But, wondered Zai, was it possible that his relationship with her was much more than that? Was Natalie becoming something that Zai had told himself that he would never, _never_ for the rest of his life?

_**I apologize for the wait for this chapter, but I had to get the last part just right. But don't get your hopes up, all you emotional people. Things might not be as they seem. I've had some requests to post pictures of what Zai may look like, but I think I won't, because I don't want to ruin any images you've created for him for yourself. Well, your feedback is much appreciated!**_


	46. Into the Hornets' Nest

_**Well, I'm back! Miss me? (I'm here to stay- I'd hate to disappoint you guys)**_

"I don't like this." Amy whispered to Ian as they slid out of the car. Matt was already waiting outside, his eyes constantly scanning their surroundings.

"Neither do I." Ian muttered, picking a piece of lint off of his shirt. Amy knew he meant the fact that they were out here, unprotected and in the middle of the enemy's nest. _And what's more worrisome, _thought Amy, _Is that Matt doesn't seem at all concerned. _ But, like good branch leaders, Ian and Amy stepped out of the car and joined Matt.

"Any word from them?" Ian asked, referring to either Nellie and Dan or Alistair and Elias. Matt nodded, distracted as he checked the alley behind them. They were in a quiet neighborhood that seemed to be largely uninhabited, probably due to the evidence that there was a fire in the area recently: Many of the buildings surrounding them were blackened and partly demolished, and all the trees that would have been twisting from gaps in the pavement were charred and bare. The prefect place to hide.

"Nellie and Dan are about two minutes away." He said, looking back at them. "Alistair should be here in about ten minutes."

"Well can't they hurry?" Amy muttered to herself. She leaned against the car and tried to focus on Dan, hoping that somehow, he would feel her mind and get here faster. Because the faster they rendezvoused, the faster they could plan their next step.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a car grumbling over the rough pavement. Her first thought was _Oh, God, not now,_ but then she saw it was the black SUV that Dan and Nellie had left in, and relief flooded over her. They parked alongside Matt's car and jumped out. Amy noticed they both looked a little shaken, and because Dan wasn't wearing makeup, she could see his face was ashen.

"Are you two alright?" Ian asked, also looking them over. Nellie waved a ring-encrusted hand.

"Just a little run-in, no biggie." Dan nodded, still mute. Amy subconsciously moved closer to him as they approached.

"So, what's the plan?" Nellie directed the question at Matt, but it was also meant for her or Ian as well. It was Matt, naturally, who answered.

"Well, I just was talking with Alistair." He paused, looking around one last time, then lowered his voice. "He was communicating with the Janus in India and the Tomas here in Nepal, and they both told him of increased levels of suspicious activity around the Nepal-India border. More specifically, around the Nepalese city of Darchula and the Indian state of Uttarakhand."

"Never heard of them." Nellie ran a hand through her hair. "Does Alistair have any idea why?"

"Why you've never heard of these places?" Matt asked. Nellie scowled, and Matt looked slightly amused.

"Well, I've never heard of them either." Amy spoke up, and all heads swiveled to her. She held Matt's gaze. "But that's where we're going."

…..xxxxxxxx….

"Do you know exactly why we're going to Neal?" Zai asked after a few moments of silence. Natalie shrugged.

"I'm sure the Madrigals will have plans for us. Maybe someone will be waiting for us at the airport." Natalie stretched and yawned.

"Or maybe it's a trap." He sighed. "Well, if it happens, it happens."

"You're awfully pessimistic." Natalie chided him, though she was grinning. Zai found himself grinning back. There was something different in the atmosphere between them. _Or maybe something's _not_ there anymore. Like a wall was lifted._ And that scared Zai. He wouldn't be close to anybody, he _couldn't _be close to anybody_. That was the deal. I already had my happiness, and it was taken way years ago. Nobody gets a second chance at that kind of thing. That isn't fair. Natalie isn't being fair. Trying to get me to like her, to be her friend._

He looked over at her again. She caught his gaze and gave him a small, very un-Natalie-like smile. He tried not to smile back.

_But I don't hate her. I can't hate her. We've needed each other this past week. And I don't want to hurt her. _He almost glanced at her again, but didn't want to meet her gaze. _But I don't know if I'll be able to help it. Hurting people and getting hurt. That's all I know. _He leaned back in his seat, pressing his eyelids together. The map showed them over northern Pakistan. _Just a few more hours. _Zai felt a pang of sadness inside him that he quickly suppressed. _I don't deserve this. I _had _a family. Now I have nothing. I can't love anybody again. I can't like Natalie. I have a sister. I can't replace her. Why couldn't it have been Elias? I will never like him. I can't let whatever is happening to me go on._

Trying to mentally distance himself from her, Zai turned his back on Natalie and closed his eyes. _The sooner I can move on, the better. For the both of us._

….…XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX…..

"Are you _certain_ this is the best way?" Ian, referring to their mode of transportation, asked from the front seat. Matt was at the wheel, staring straight ahead at as they left the bustle and pollution of Kathmandu behind.

"Yes, I am _certain."_ Matt replied bluntly. "We're safest on the road, as our disastrous hop across the Channel should have taught you. And these are the most secure possible vehicle we could be in."

"But don't you think we're a little…conspicuous?" Amy asked. She glanced out the rear window. Trailing them was Nellie and Dan, and behind them, Alistair and Elias. A caravan of hulking, black SUVs.

"It does _matter_ if the Vesper forces see us; they already know we're here. And there not fools; they know the only rational place we'd be headed is Darchula."

"I guess." Amy murmured. But she wasn't completely convinced. Something seemed wrong. Maybe it was just instinct, as all the traveling she'd done with Dan and Nellie was hurried and tense.

_But it's different now. We're not the weaker element. We're the threat to them. We're on the attack, going to confront them on their own grounds. No more sneaking around. This is the opening salvo of the first Cahill-Vesper all-out war._

_**As always, enjoy and stay tuned! Till next time **___


End file.
